Tesla is bringing back over 1. 6 million cars in China because of problems with the steering software and door locks, says the country’s regulator.
The recall involves the S, X, 3, and Y models, as well as 7,538 imported vehicles.
The issues will be resolved by sending updates to the software from a distance, so the vehicles won’t have to go to the dealer or auto repair shop.
Less than a month ago, Tesla had to bring back two million cars in the US because of problems with the autopilot software.
Last year in May, the Chinese government said that over a million cars might have problems with their speed and braking systems.
The American electric car company found issues with the features that help the car drive by itself and the system that locks the doors.
The Chinese government agency, SAMR, said that the planned vehicle update is like a recall, even though it will happen through the internet.
Tesla will send a software update to 1,610,105 vehicles. These include Models S and X that were imported, as well as Models 3 and Y made in China from 2014 to 2023. It was announced by the SAMR.
The official said that this was to fix problems with the self-driving feature and reduce the chance of accidents.
“The SAMR said that for cars included in this recall, if the automatic steering assistance is turned on, drivers might not use the level two combined assistance properly. This could make the car more likely to crash and be unsafe. ”
Additionally, Tesla will update the software for 7,538 Models S and X cars to fix the issue of doors unlocking in crashes.
This is the second bad news for Tesla in the country. China’s BYD sold more electric cars than Tesla worldwide in the last quarter of 2023.
In 2022, Tesla had to bring back around 128,000 cars in China because of a problem with the rear motor inverter.
Tesla sells a lot of cars in China, where the government gives them money to people who buy electric and hybrid cars. The country wants most cars to run on clean energy by 2035.
China has a big factory in Shanghai where Tesla makes cars. It’s the first “gigafactory” Tesla has made outside of the US. The facility sent out 947,000 vehicles in 2023, as reported by state news agency Xinhua.
The Metropolitan Police said they are not looking into claims about the Duke of York and his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein who was involved in child abuse.
Prince Andrew is being accused of touching a woman inappropriately at Epstein’s house in court documents that were made public. He has said before that this is not true.
The Met said it will look at any new and important information if someone tells them about it.
The prince is one of many important people listed in the files.
The new papers are part of a legal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend. She has been arrested for helping him hurt girls.
Many of the claims in the papers are not new.
The files have a long story from Johanna Sjoberg. She met Prince Andrew at Epstein’s house in New York in 2001. Also there were Epstein’s friend Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre. She later filed a claim against the prince for a sexual assault, and they agreed on a settlement.
Ms Sjoberg says that Prince Andrew touched her breast during an encounter. Buckingham Palace has said that the allegations are completely false.
British group against king and queen, Republic, said it told the police about the prince after the papers came out this week.
The force knew about the documents getting out, but they haven’t started looking into it yet.
“We will look at any new and important information that is brought to our attention,” a spokesperson said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he won’t talk about the police or court cases involving Prince Andrew.
Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour party and a former top prosecutor, said that when people make believable accusations, those accusations should be looked into.
“I saw the headlines but not the details. Whoever it is, if there are believable accusations, they should be investigated,” he said on LBC.
The papers mention some famous people like former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
The papers do not have any claims of Mr. Trump doing something wrong, and there is no suggestion that Mr. Clinton did anything illegal.
Epstein, a wealthy man who had connections in the government, business, and royal families, died in jail in 2019. He was accused of running a large group of young girls for sex.
Maxwell went to prison for 20 years in July 2020. She has asked for help, and they will listen to her in November next year.
Prince Andrew said he would stop doing his royal duties in 2019 because of the Epstein scandal.
Russia is not saying anything about the claim that Putin’s top military leader has been killed in an attack.
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk from Ukraine said his crews did great in a fight with a Russian military post near Sevastopol in Crimea.
The news in the area says that General Valery Gerasimov, who is Vladimir Putin’s top war commander, may have been killed in an attack. It is not confirmed if he was at the command post at the time.
Nataliya Humenyuk, who speaks for the Ukrainian southern defense forces, did not say if Gerasimov had died. She said, “We are gathering the information you want to know. ”
“Once it’s confirmed, it will be shared with the public. ” Right now, all we can say is what we already know – the control point has been reached.
A big boom and lots of smoke were seen on video from a possible attack with a missile called Storm Shadow at a military headquarters in Yukharin Balka.
Another army place in Crimea in the village of Uyutnoye, near Yevpatoria, in Saki district was also said to be attacked.
Ukrainian sources said a lot of ambulances were seen at both places.
Putin’s chosen governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said: “It was the biggest attack in a long time. ”
Gerasimov was last seen on December 29th giving awards to soldiers who did a good job during the fighting in Marinka, Ukraine. He hasn’t been seen since then.
However, this week is an important Russian holiday, and he has disappeared from public view for long periods before.
Newsweek said that some people are saying that Gerasimov is dead, but it’s not proven. It seems like this started after WarVehicleTracker shared a picture from a Russian Telegram channel called “Ordinary Tsarism. ”
“The message said that Valery Gerasimov was killed in an attack on Crimea while he was at a command post near Sevastopol. ”
There is no proof that the general, who was against Yevgeny Prigozhin, was in Crimea or was injured in the attack there.
Russia has not said anything about the claims yet.
Shortly after the attack, Oleshchuk said, “I thank the Ukrainian Air Force pilots and everyone who planned the operation for their excellent work in combat. ”
He said that Russian propaganda might tell lies about the attacks, and he expects them to do the same on January 4th like they did before.
President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) has told the people of Southern province to ensure they vote in numbers to maintain the UPND leadership in 2026.
Hichilema who got over 90 percent of the vote in the region thanked the people saying the results of their vote were already manifesting through Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects and the rule of law. He said there was now peace in the country because of the type of the leadership in office.
Addressing a new year rally celebration in Masuku ward, Choma District, President Hichilema called all the Chiefs in the region to ensure their people obtain the National Registration Cards (NRC) and Voters Cards.
He said the preparations for 2026 elections start this year. He told the rally that mobilisation must start ahead of the fourth coming general election in 2026. President Hichilema said two weeks before voting day people must be camped reminded of the danger of voting his government out and that they all participate in voting.
He called for mass voting to maintain his presidency. He told the people that they should remember how they suffered discrimination, beatings under the PF regime.
President Hichilema said they should never allow to go back to the dark days of the PF regime of violence and lawlessness. “You must be annoyed as you go to vote, there is no Alebwelelapo. I’m already here,” President Hichilema said.
President Hichilema said people in Lusaka in public places were being beaten just for speaking Tonga, his language under the PF. He said the people’s vote had liberated them from such ills.
President Hichilema said the Police who were used to brutalize people were now under his guide and are Friends to the people.
“There is no more teargas, these Police Officers are now your Friends before you could not be close with them,” he said pointing at the Police at the rally.
President Hichilema said his government has created a peaceful environment for people to live freely and do their work. President Hichilema who is a leading cattle Rancher in Zambia also promised to introduce cattle loans. He also promised that the Masuku Choma Road will be worked on.
ZAMBIA HAS BECOME AN EXTREMELY HUNGRY COUNTRY – DR FRED M’MEMBE
… he says many people are complaining that they have never seen the kind of hunger that we have today in the country
Lusaka, Thursday, January 4, 2024 (Smart Eagles)
Leader of the opposition Socialist Party (SP) Fred M’membe has lamented that Zambia has become an extremely hungry country.
Dr M’membe has accused the New Dawn Administration of messing up the economy.
He said during a briefing at the party secretariat, Wednesday, that among the things the UPND government has messed up is the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP).
“Where are our people going to get the food for 2024 when the input supply programme has almost broken down? Not enough seed, fertiliser, and chemicals have been supplied everywhere in Zambia, and to add salt to the injury, the inputs were distributed late,” he said.
“Many people are complaining that they have never seen the kind of hunger that we have today in the country. Where are the food reserves? They sold them – these are business people who only want to make money without caring about your well-being and the well-being of this country.”
Dr M’membe said he doesn’t think 2024 will be a better year.
He explained that this is because the government has failed to demonstrate how they will reduce the cost of living, improve the economy, reduce fuel prices, and improve the health care situation and the food scarcity.
The opposition leader has lamented that looking at the economy, Zambia has become a country where all privileges are given to transnational corporations, “to their friends, while you, our people, are burdened with increasing utility costs, increasing fuel costs.”
“We used to buy a litre of fuel for about K17, but today we are spending almost K30 per litre. For local businesses – this makes the cost of doing business unbearable. We hear people complaining every day – they are wondering how they and their families are going to survive. Even mobile money transactions are going to be taxed this year,” he said.
“Bally told you he would fix it – but instead, he is fixing the people that voted for him in numbers. He promised you that he was going to arrest inflation, but we have seen that the figure of inflation is on the rise. He promised that the dollar would be reduced, but today, 1 US dollar is K26. The dollar is going forward!”
He reminded Zambians that President Hichilema promised that mealie meal would be K50, fertilizer would be K250, and that he promised to reduce fuel.
“But we know that is far from reality. Ababufi Balaya Ifingi! The lies are catching UP with him. They think that people are fools; But our people are not fools! Time will tell! And it is evident that the lies will not stop. Our health system is deteriorating! Our hospitals are without medications. People are complaining that it is difficult to get access to decent healthcare. Many lives are being lost every day because of poor decisions,” he said.
“But why should we keep them in 2026 if they have failed on their very own promises? When will this nation heal, reconcile, and unite? They have no respect for the laws of this country. They have destroyed our parliament. They have destroyed our judiciary.
Lusaka Lawyer Celestin tasks LAZ to challenge the Constitutionality of Inspector General Police’s statement on banning Opposition Party Rally Statement.
The President Law Association of Zambia LAZ House No. 1 Lagos Road, Rhodespark P.O. Box 35271 Lusaka-Zambia
Kind Attention: Mr. Lungisani Zulu
Dear Sir,
RE: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ON THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE STATEMENT BY THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE AS REPORTED IN THE DAILY NATIONS TABLOID DATED 3RD OF JANUARY, 2024
Reference is made to the above caption and to the Statement made by the Inspector General of Police which was published in the Daily Nations tabloid dated 3rd January, 2024 on holding of public rallies by Opposition Political Parties.
That the aforementioned statement by the Inspector General of restraining Opposition Political Parties from holding public rallies goes against the enshrined constitutional tenets of a democratic state such as ours, and must be challenged immediately, and the failure to do so will erode the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Mr. President you will note that in line the objects for which the Association is established as provided for in Section 4 (l) of the Law Association of Zambia Act Chapter 31 of the Laws of Zambia, the Association is mandated to seek the advancement of the rule of law and of the rights and liberties of the individual.
Further, Article 20(1) as read together with Article 21(1) of the Constitution of Zambia Chapter 1 of the Laws of Zambia guarantees the protection of the freedom of expression and the protection of freedom of assembly and association. The said provisions states as follows;
“20. (1) Except with his own consent, a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference, whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons, and freedom from interference with his correspondence.”
“21. (1) Except with his own consent a person shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of assembly and association, that is to say, his right to assemble freely and associate with other persons and in particular to form or belong to any political party, trade union or other association for the protection of his interests.”
Furthermore, your Excellency, the Supreme Court has on several occasions pronounced itself and guided on the inalienable constitutionally guaranteed rights as provided for in Part Three (3) of the Constitution of Zambia and of concern are the aforesaid provisions. Your Excellency, The Supreme Court in the case of RESIDENT DOCTORS ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA AND OTHERS v THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (SCZ Judgment No. 12 of 2003) stated that; “The rights to free speech and freedom to assemble are not only fundamental, but central to the concept and ideal of democracy.” Furthermore, the Supreme Court in the case of MULUNDIKA AND OTHERS V THE PEOPLE [1996] 2 LRC 175 at page 190 guided that; “… invalidity and constitutional guarantee of the rights of assembly and expression preclude the prosecution of persons and the criminalisation of gatherings in contravention of the subsection pronounced against”.
Your Excellency, from the aforementioned provisions of the law and the decided Supreme Court decisions, the Law Association of Zambia must immediately challenge the constitutionality of the statement that was made by the Inspector General of Police as the said statement abrogates the guaranteed constitutional rights of the opposition political persons and proposes to threaten criminal prosecution of gatherings that may occur.
Your Excellency, I opine that the statement that was made goes against the tenets of Constitutionalism, the rule of law as well as the principles of a good democracy such as ours and promotes the advancements of a one party state tendency which must be checked in order to protect our democracy and multi-partism we have achieved thus far.
Your Excellency, the Country is earmarked for general elections in the next two (2) years and such statements only prove a shrinking democratic space which curtails opposition political players from participating in a leveled playing field of this democratic process in offering alternative solutions to our country.
Your Excellency, your intervention in defense of our democracy, rights and individual liberties is in line with the mandate as the Law Association of Zambia is a necessity at present.
●Foreign-Currency Debt Remains in Default: The ‘RD’ Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (LTFC IDR) reflects that Zambia remains in default on its foreign-currency (FC) government debt. The government stopped servicing its external debt in October 2020, excluding multilateral debt and some priority project loans.
Closing of Debt
● Restructuring Delayed: Following the agreement with the official creditor committee (0CC) on the restructuring of USD6.3 billion of official debt reached in June 2023, Zambia has sought private creditors’ claims treatment on comparable terms, but the October 2023 in-principle agreement with the steering committee of Eurobond holders has been rejected, delaying the closure of the Common Framework restructuring.
● Fitch Ratings expects Zambia to reach an agreement with private creditors in 2024.
No restructure for Local Debt
● LC Debt Excluded from Restructuring: The upgrade of the LTLC IDR reflects greater confidence that the debt-restructuring process will be completed and will exclude local currency (LC) debt from the final treatment.
The government has remained current on Local debt payments throughout the Foreign Currency debt-restructuring process, and Fitch estimates that an event of default on the LC debt is very unlikely by the near-to-medium term.
● Large Fiscal Consolidation: Fitch anticipates a continuation of the fiscal consolidation path that has already reduced the cash primary deficit by 6.3pp between 2020 and 2022.
● We expect the cash primary balance to reach a deficit of 0.6% of GDP in 2023, from 1.6% in 2022, and improve to a 0.7% surplus in 2024 followed by a 1.2% surplus in 2025.
● Falling Debt: Under our assumptions on the debt-restructuring parameters and kwacha appreciation following the closure of the debt restructuring, government debt would fall to 90% of GDP in 2024, from an expected 116% in 2023, and continue to decline to 80.5% in 2025.
● Since February 2023, authorities have implemented a 5% ceiling on non-resident participation to LC auctions, expected to be lifted after the end of the IMF programme, which aims to avoid abrupt entrances and exits of non-residents from primary LC market.
● Current Account Deficit: We expect the 2023 current account balance to be in deficit for the first time since 2018, at 2.8% of GDP, from a 3.7% surplus in 2022, on an end of commodity price boom and slump in copper exports.
● We anticipate the current account balance to return to a 0.5% surplus in 2024 and 0.6% in 2025. This would contribute, together with disbursements from international financing institutions, to a gradual increase in international reserves, to 3.6 months of current external payments in 2025 from an expected 2.9 months in 2023.
● Inflation to Taper: Delays in FC debt restructuring and a struggling mining sector have eroded confidence, pressuring the kwacha which has depreciated by 29% in 2023.
This partly fuels CPI inflation that we expect to average 14% in 2023, far from the 6%-8% target of the Bank of Zambia.
● The completion of the debt restructuring, which we estimate will catalyse foreign investments in Zambia, would enable the kwacha to appreciate in 2024 and 2025, helping to tame inflation. We estimate that CPl inflation will average 8% in 2025.
Improving Governance: Zambia is implementing IMF policy recommendations to improve governance and tackle corruption, for example, by revising public procurement legislation, and it has also enhanced public financial management and Bank of Zambia governance, supervision capacityy and independence.
Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings is a leading provider of credit ratings, commentary and research for global capital markets.
This report do rating action fc more detailed previously pu Commentary, www.fitchratir
Ratings Foreign Currer Long-Term IDR Short-Term IDR Local Currency Long-Term IDR Short-Term IDR Country Ceilin Rating Deri Component Sovereign Rating Qualitative Overl Structural featu Macroeconomic Public finances External finance Long-Term Forei Source: Fitch Rati Data GDP (USDbn) Population (m)
Source: Fitch Rating
Applicable C Country Ceiling C Sovereign Rating
Related Res Fitch Affirms Zam Upgrades LTLC ID (December 2023) Global Economic Interactive Sovere Fitch Fiscal Index Click here for mor Zambia Analysts Thomas Garreau +852 22639917 thomas.garreaua Jose Mantero +44 20 3530 134 jose.mantero@fit Rating Report 4 January 2024
….for finally submitting the scheme of agreement in court to expedite KCM- Vedanta deal
Lusaka… Friday January 5, 2024 (SMART EAGLES)
The Consortium of Civil Society Organizations has applauded the government for finally submitting the creditors scheme of arrangement before the court in order to expedite the Vedanta – Konkola Copper Mine transition process.
Consortium Lead Samuel Banda has however urged the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Hon Paul Kabuswe to be updating the nation on the transition process on time.
Mr Banda, who is also Advocates for National Development and Democracy (ANDD) Executive Director, says the scheme of arrangement is a key fundamental aspect to the transition process and it will facilitate for the withdraw of the provisional liquidator at KCM to allow Vedanta take full control of KCM and begin to implement their investment commitments.
“We would like to commend Government for submitting the creditors scheme of arrangement to the Zambian court to expidite the KCM Vedanta transition process. The scheme of arrangement is a key fundamental aspect to the transition process and it will facilitate for the withdraw of the provisional liquidator at KCM to allow Vedanta take full control of KCM and begin to implement their investment commitments among them,” he said.
“The investor has also committed to inject in over US$ 1 billion for recapitalization and mining development; clearing off payment US$250 million to suppliers and contractors that KCM owes; implementation of coporate social responsibility programmes to enhance community development with a budget of 20Million USD.”
Mr Banda also said the investor has further committed to increase salaries for workers at KCM by 20 percent.
“We believe the KCM employees protested because they have the confidence in the investor Vedanta Resources and its investment commitments and all they knew that Vedanta Resources by January would have taken over full operations of KCM according the ministers promise on 5th September upon Government signing a shareholders and implementation agreement. Hence we feel it is wrong for the minister to condemn the employees for Protesting, the employees have a right to protest. Actually the Minister of mines should apologize to the employees for not honouring his promise of finalizing the transition process within a time frame of 3 months,” he stated.
“Therefore, we urge the minister of mines to be updating the nation on time regarding the transition process to avoid stakeholders tension and anxiety, because its absolutely clear that all the stakeholders contractors, suppliers, employees and Zambians in general are looking forward to see Vedanta Resources a mining giant take control of KCM and resuscitate the mining firm.”
And Zambians for Unity Peace and Development (ZUPED) President Ronnie Jere said his organization is satisfied with the response from Hon Kabuswe that Vedanta has not fully taken over the operations of KCM for them to fully implement the K2500 once off payment to KCM workers as per promise.
“The Minister of Mines has responded to the main queries that the mine unions, CSOs and other stakeholders have been asking such as the K2500 once payment to KCM workers that Vedanta had promised. We want to commend the Minister for being proactive, I think he is one of the ministers that doesn’t let issues go to sleep. Some ministers would not have responded like the way Hon Kabuswe has done and that’s why we are commending him for being proactive,” he said.
“CSOs petitioned the Minister of Mines to explain why the transition process has slowed down and also as to when they will handover KCM to Vedanta and the Minister has said soon because there are court processes that are going on. And we are satisfied with that response and he has explained to the workers to the workers because Vedanta has not fully taken over because the scheme of arrangement was just signed and it is in court and so it’s about the court processes and it’s no longer in the ministry of Mines. And we are also satisfied with that response because we have a Minister who looks at the interests of the people.”
A big Chinese financial company has asked for legal protection because it can’t pay the money it owes.
A court in Beijing agreed to the request from Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, which has given lots of money to real estate companies.
Chinese officials started looking into “suspected illegal activities” by the company in November.
It was reported that ZEG declared it couldn’t pay its debts.
The group that is having a hard time told investors in a letter in November that it owes more money – up to $64 billion – than it actually has, which is about $38 billion.
On Friday, a court in Beijing wrote on the social media app WeChat that ZEG doesn’t have enough money to pay all its debts, and can’t pay them back completely.
ZEG is a big company in China that works in the shadow banking industry. Shadow banking is a system of lenders and brokers who are not part of the regular banking system.
Shadow banking is not regulated and doesn’t have the same rules and limitations as regular banks.
Informal lending has always been a part of China’s economy, but shadow banking started to become more popular after the 2008 global financial crisis when credit was hard to come by.
China’s unofficial banking industry is worth about $3 trillion. It often gives money to the country’s property market to help it survive. The industry that used to do really well is now in trouble because it doesn’t have enough money. Some of the biggest companies might not be able to stay in business.
At its best, ZEG’s asset management arm managed over a trillion yuan ($139 billion; £110 billion).
However, it was not protected from the bigger problem with property, and it had more problems in November when authorities said they had taken legal actions against “many suspects. ”
We still don’t know who they are and what they do in the company. The person who started the company, Xie Zhikun, passed away from a heart attack in 2021.
The latest news at ZEG has made people worried about more problems in the world’s second biggest economy. This comes after the company Evergrande failed and Country Garden had money troubles.
Troubled property developers owe Chinese banks a lot of money, about 30% of the banks’ assets.
China’s real estate industry contributes to one third of its economy. This includes homes, renting and helping people find a place to live, and making building supplies and things that are used in apartments.
In 2023, Claudine Gay was announced as the 30th President of Harvard University, making her the first Black person and the second woman to lead the Ivy League school in its 388-year history.
She replaced Lawrence Bacow, who stepped down to spend more time with his family. She was elected to the presidency by the Harvard Corporation, the University’s principal governing board, with the consent of the University’s Board of Overseers, The Harvard Gazette reported.
Gay was recruited by Harvard in 2006 as a professor of government. She was also appointed a professor of African and African American Studies in 2007. In 2015, she was named the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government when she also became dean of social science at FAS.
Fast forward to 2024, Gay has stepped down as president of Harvard University after just six months in office. Her tenure at the university is the shortest in the history of the university.
The move follows allegations of plagiarism and a backlash over what was described as an inadequate response to campus anti-Semitism, according to Aljazeera.
Gay cited personal attacks “fuelled by racial animus” in her resignation letter. “It has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual,” Gay wrote in her resignation letter on Tuesday.
According to her, it had been “painful to witness the tensions and divisions that have riven our community in recent months rising at Harvard” and “distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigour”.
Her resignation comes on the heels of mounting pressure for her to step down after a congressional hearing about anti-Semitism on university campuses on December 4 following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. There have been several protests and counterprotests on college campuses following the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas against Israel.
Gay, while testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives committee about the rise of antisemitism on campuses, did not directly answer a question from Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik on whether calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the schools’ codes of conduct. Following the hearing, multiple allegations of plagiarism surfaced regarding Gay’s previous academic work.
Gay received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University in California in 1992. She got her doctorate in government in 1998 from Harvard, where she won the Toppan Prize for the best dissertation in political science. Gay served as an assistant professor and then a tenured associate professor at Stanford before joining Harvard in 2006.
Alan M. Garber, who currently serves as provost and chief academic officer at Harvard, will step in as interim president until Harvard finds a new leader.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has given ideas for how Gaza should be run after the war between Israel and Hamas ends.
He said that Palestinians would have some control over the area, but it would be limited.
Hamas will not be in charge of Gaza anymore, and Israel will have the main control of security.
The fighting in Gaza kept going as the plan was released. Dozens of people were killed in the past day, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is coming back to the area this week. He will have discussions with Palestinian officials in the West Bank and leaders in Israel.
He is visiting at a time when there is a lot of tension in the area because a top Hamas leader was killed in Beirut. Many people believe that Israel is responsible for his death. Israel has not said if they were involved or not.
Under Gallant’s plan, Israel would have the main control of security in Gaza.
A group from many different countries would help rebuild the area after it was damaged by Israeli bombing.
Egypt, which is next to the country, would also have a role in the plan, but it is not clear what that role will be.
However, the paper also says that Palestinians would have to take care of the area.
“Mr Gallant said that the people in Gaza are Palestinian, so Palestinian authorities will be in charge. But they must not do anything unfriendly or threatening to Israel. ”
The plan was not talked about much in the meeting with the government officials, and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not said anything about it. The meeting ended in a fight with some ministers getting mad about the names suggested for an investigation into the 7 October attack by Hamas.
There is a lot of disagreement in Israel about what will happen in Gaza after the current situation.
Some conservative members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government want Palestinian citizens to leave Gaza and for Jewish settlements to be rebuilt there. Other countries in the area and some of Israel’s allies think these ideas are extreme and impossible to make happen.
Mr Gallant has some ideas that may be easier to do than others in the government. But the Palestinian leaders will probably not agree with his ideas. They think the people in Gaza should be in charge of their own territory after the war ends.
Mr Netanyahu has not said in public how he thinks Gaza should be ruled.
He thinks the fighting in Gaza could continue for a few more months, with the goal of totally defeating Hamas.
MrGallant explained how the Israeli military plans to continue the war in Gaza.
He said the Israeli army will focus on specific areas in the north of the Gaza Strip and conduct operations like raids, destroying tunnels, and using air and ground attacks.
The Israeli military in the south will keep looking for Hamas leaders and trying to rescue Israeli hostages.
On Thursday, the Israeli military said it attacked parts of Gaza in the north and south, including Gaza City and Khan Younis.
It attacked terrorist buildings and killed people it called militants who tried to set off a bomb near soldiers.
It also said it had killed a high-ranking member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Mamdouh Lolo, in a bombing.
The health department in Gaza, run by Hamas, reported that 125 people died in the last day in the area.
An official from the health department said that 14 people, including nine children, were killed by Israeli air attacks in al-Mawasi, to the west of Khan Younis.
The small town is a “safe space” for Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes, protected by Israeli forces. The IDF has not said anything about what Hamas has claimed.
“We were asleep when a strike hit the camp where people were sleeping in tents. Most of them were children,” said Jamal Hamad Salah to the news agency Reuters. “We found a body that was thrown 40 meters away from the scene. ”
“Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, says that Gaza is not a safe place. ” Places like camps, shelters, schools, hospitals, homes, and places where people should be safe should not be places where there is fighting.
More than 22,400 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel started attacking. This is almost 1% of the 2. 3 million people who live there. Hamas runs the health ministry and provided this information.
Israel started attacking after Hamas gunmen surprised and attacked southern Israel on October 7th. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 people as hostages.
The US says that Russia used North Korea’s ballistic missiles and launchers in its war with Ukraine.
John Kirby, who works for the National Security Council, said that Pyongyang’s support for Russia is a big problem and it worries them.
He said that the US would talk about this at the UN Security Council and put more penalties on people who are helping to move weapons.
Moscow said they did not work together in any way.
Hours after the White House accused North Korea, Kim Jong Un said he wants to make more missile launch vehicles in the country.
The leader of North Korea went to Russia in September to talk about working together on military stuff.
The US has accused Pyongyang of giving Russia weapons before, but now they are sharing information about ballistic missiles, which are rockets that can fly by themselves and go up to 900km (500 miles) to hit a target.
During a meeting at the White House, Mr. Kirby said that Russia buying ballistic missiles from North Korea breaks many UN Security Council rules.
“He said we will make sure Russia is held responsible for breaking its promises to other countries again. ”
He also said that the US thinks Russia might buy short-range missiles from Iran, but they haven’t done it yet.
The UK said it really disapproves of Russia using ballistic missiles from North Korea in Ukraine.
“North Korea is facing strong punishments, and we will keep working with other countries to make sure North Korea faces consequences for helping Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Mr Kirby asked the US Congress to quickly approve more money for Ukraine.
“He said the best way to stop Russia from hurting Ukraine is to give Ukraine important tools for defending themselves, like air defense and other military equipment. ”
Iran and North Korea are supporting Russia. Ukrainian people should know that the American government and its people will always support them.
The White House approved a $250 million aid package for Ukraine on December 27th.
Negotiations for more money in Congress are stuck because Republicans want stricter border security to be included in the aid deal.
Ukraine said that if they don’t get more help from the West soon, it will be hard for them to keep fighting in the war and manage their money.
The South’s spy agency said that Kim Jong Un‘s young daughter is likely to take over as the leader of North Korea and has been with him at missile tests and military events.
This is the first time that the National Intelligence Service has recognized Kim Ju Ae as Mr. Kim’s successor
But, NIS is still thinking about “all options” in North Korea’s plan for who will take over after the current leader.
Miss Kim has been very visible in public since she first showed up at the end of 2022.
The NIS said that after looking at what people are doing and how much they respect Kim Ju Ae, she seems like the person most likely to take over.
“But we are watching for all options because Kim Jong Un is still young, healthy, and there are many things that can happen. ”
Miss Kim is said to be the second oldest child of the North Korean leader and is believed to be around 10 years old.
Kim Yung-ho, who is in charge of bringing North and South Korea together, said something similar about Mr Kim’s daughter at a meeting with reporters last month.
He said that people talking a lot about Kim Jong Un’s daughter shows that North Korea is trying to show who will take over as leader in the future, even though things are tough there.
People who watch North Korea have noticed that now they are calling Miss Kim a “respected” daughter instead of a “beloved” one. This change happened after her first public appearance in November 2022.
The word “respected” is only used for the most admired people in North Korea. Kim’s situation, he was called “respected comrade” only after it was certain he would be the future leader.
People in North Korea are taught that the Kims come from a special family and only they can be the leaders of the country. Kim wants to make sure he gives his position to the fourth generation.
Most recently, Miss Kim went with her father to see North Korea’s newest long-range missile, called the Hwasong-18. It is the most advanced missile they have right now.
She was with her father when the North launched its spy satellite into space last November. Pyongyang said that the Malligyong-1 would let Mr. Kim see the White House.
Experts believe that Mr. Kim is introducing his daughter, Miss Kim, to the public so that she can gain experience and credibility before leading in the future.
This could also be a way for Mr. Kim to change unfair beliefs in North Korea, which is a very male-dominated country that has never had a female leader.
In 2013, people first heard about Miss Kim when retired basketball player Dennis Rodman went to North Korea and caused a lot of talk.
Mr Rodman said he spent time with Mr. Kim’s family, relaxing by the ocean, and even held their baby.
The leader of North Korea keeps his family very private. He didn’t tell anyone about his wife, Ri Sol Ju, until some time after they got married.
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton has vowed to protest at Bill Ackman’s Manhattan offices in response to the billionaire hedge fund manager’s successful campaign against Claudine Gay.
Ackman, a Harvard graduate and significant donor to the university, strongly advocated for Gay’s resignation. Ackman, who is Jewish and married to an Israeli, the celebrity architect Neri Oxman, was angered by Gay’s response to students justifying Hamas attacks.
What worsened the plight of the embattled Harvard President was her evasive testimony on December 5, sparking a strong desire in Ackman to lead a campaign against her. Allegations of plagiarism in her academic work surfaced on December 12, intensifying calls for her resignation, according to Daily Mail.
Sharpton, however, claims she was pushed out due to her race, stating this on Tuesday. “President Gay’s resignation is about more than a person or a single incident. This is an attack on every Black woman in this country who’s put a crack in the glass ceiling,” he said.
He accused the billionaire of launching a relentless campaign against President Gay, which was not based on her leadership or credentials but due to Ackman perceiving her as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hire.
Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) plans to protest outside Ackman’s Manhattan office on Thursday. “If he doesn’t think Black Americans belong in the C-Suite, the Ivy League, or any other hallowed halls, we’ll make ourselves at home outside his office,” he explained.
Ackman has been making merry following the resignation of President Gay, marking the second Ivy League president to step down post-disastrous Congressional testimony. Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania also resigned on December 9 amid criticism for her legalistic and equivocal responses.
The third president, Sally Kornbluth, remains in her position at MIT amid recent controversies surrounding other university leaders.
One of Bill Ackman’s critics, Yale professor Gregg Gonsalves, accused him of being a negative force in American education and criticized Ackman as a “pernicious influence on American education” and an “odious” person who “thinks his money equals wisdom” and “gives him the right to bully at will.”
Ackman responded to Gonsalves’ comments. “What did I say about @Harvard President Gay that has to do with money?” replied Ackman.
“President Gay resigned because she lost the confidence of the University at large due to her actions and inactions and other failures of leadership.
“Other than elevating concerns about Gay that were held by thousands of Harvard students, faculty, and alumni, what is ‘pernicious’ about my so-called influence on American education?
“Gay resigned because it was untenable for her to remain President of Harvard due to her failings in leadership.”
“Would you want Gay to be president of Yale where you apparently serve on the faculty?”
When one person said Ackman was being “disingenuous” about money, Ackman replied: “How did I use money? I don’t understand. I never threatened to withhold donations etc.
“President Gay’s resignation is not about money. It is about her failures of leadership and questions about her academic record.”
North Korea shot over 200 artillery shells towards South Korea‘s Yeonpyeong island.
Later, South Korea told people to find safety on the island and then did practice shooting exercises there.
The South said the move is a “provocative act” and they disagree with it.
In 2010, artillery from North Korea shot many times at Yeonpyeong island, and four people died.
On Friday, bombs were shot between 9:00 and 11:00 in the morning. They did not go into South Korea because they landed in the area between the two countries.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea said that the incident did not harm anyone or our military. But they also said that it could make the situation tense and threaten peace in Korea.
North Korea has been saying they are getting ready for war and now they are shelling. They say a war could happen anytime.
Officials on the nearby Baengnyeong Island also said that people have to leave the area.
The most recent event happened several months after North Korea stopped a military agreement with South Korea. The agreement was meant to make their relationship better.
The deal started to go bad after Pyongyang said they sent a spy satellite into space in November. This caused South Korea to stop some parts of the agreement and they said they would start doing surveillance flights along the border again.
Later, Pyongyang said it would stop trying to avoid military conflict on land, sea, and in the air. It will also send stronger armed forces and new military equipment to the border region.
North Korea broke the agreement several times by shooting missiles and firing weapons towards South Korea. North Korea shot artillery shells into the sea nine times in the year 2022. The most recent time was in December.
Some experts think that if Pyongyang stops following the deal, it may not change things very much.
“North Korea didn’t follow the agreement from the beginning, so there was always a chance of a small clash happening,” explained Jo Bee Yun from the Korea Institute for Defence Analysis.
Yeonpyeong island has a military base and about 2,000 people live there. It’s located 3km (2 miles) away from a disputed sea border in the Yellow Sea and 12km from the North Korean coast.
It has been a place where Korea’s navy has fought each other for many years.
In 2010, North Korea shot many shells at an island and killed two soldiers and two people who were not soldiers.
Authorities in Florida said a 14-year-old boy, who shot and killed his 23-year-old sister during an argument over Christmas gifts, was also shot by his teen brother a few seconds after the initial incident, NBC News reported.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri at a news conference said the fatal incident occurred on Christmas Eve, adding that the argument stemmed from a dispute over who was getting more Christmas presents. Gualtieri said the teens, identified as Damarcus Coley, 14, and 15-year-old Darcus Coley, had gone shopping with their mother and deceased sister at the time.
Gualtieri also said the argument did not stop after the deceased victim, identified as Abrielle Baldwin, got to their grandmother’s home with her two brothers. Baldwin’s 11-month-old and 6-year-old children were also at the home.
Gualtieri said that during the argument, Damarcus “stood in the doorway, he took out his .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, and he pointed it at [his brother] and told him he was going to shoot him in the head.”
An uncle is said to have subsequently stepped in to separate the brothers after Damarcus attempted to start a fight with Darcus. The uncle also took the 14-year-old boy outside.
Gualtieri said Baldwin was also outside with her 11-month-old child at the time, adding that she told her 14-year-old brother, “You all need to leave that stuff alone. Why are you trying to start it? It’s Christmas.”
Gualtieri said Baldwin and Damarcus then got into an argument. The 14-year-old is said to have hurled “derogatory” words at her sister before he opened fire on her. Baldwin was holding her 11-month-old baby in a carrier when Damarcus shot her, NBC News reported. The child did not sustain any injuries after the minor and her mother fell following the shooting.
In the wake of the initial shooting, Darcus came outside and shot his 14-year-old brother because he had shot their sister. “You shot my motherf—— sister!,” Darcus is said to have shouted before shooting his brother. The 15-year-old was said to be armed with a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Gualtieri also said the two shootings happened within an “eight second gap.” Damarcus was also not armed with his gun at the time he was shot. Following the shootings, Darcus fled the scene, disposed of his gun, and went to a family member’s home.
Baldwin also later succumbed to her injuries in a hospital. “She was just a woman going about life, doing her thing with her two kids,” said Gualtieri. “Now you got an 11-month-old and a 6-year-old boy, and their mom’s dead.”
Damarcus’ condition was listed as stable after he underwent surgery. He faces a slew of charges including first-degree murder, child abuse, and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm. The Pinellas-Pasco County State Attorney’s Office is yet to decide if he would be charged as an adult.
Authorities also said Darcus was ultimately “located and taken to a mental health facility due to self-harm statements and will be transferred to the custody of the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center once he is released.” He has since been charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Authorities retrieved the murder weapon but were unable to locate the .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun used by Darcus. During investigations, Gualtieri said that people in the area told authorities that the teen brothers “carried guns all the time.”
The sheriff said the brothers managed to obtain the guns by “stealing them from unlocked cars, they’re out in the middle of the night doing car burglaries.” Gualtieri added that the brothers were initially arrested over multiple car burglaries in May.
“These young kids, 14, 15 years old, routinely carry firearms, and this is what happens when you got young delinquents that carry guns; they get upset they don’t know how to handle stuff, so they just take out their guns and start shooting each other, and one of them kills his sister,” the sheriff added.
Damarcus has also had run-ins with the law since he was 12 years old. Gualtieri said his previous charges include being a minor in possession of a gun, disorderly conduct, grand theft auto, auto burglaries, and battery on a school employee, NBC News reported.
“This proliferation of guns in the streets and guns in this area and guns in the hands of these kids is the worst I’ve ever seen. I don’t think we’ve ever seen it this bad. I really think we need tougher laws to deal with these kids. They are not getting the consequences they should get,” the sheriff said. -Face2Face Africa
A student in Iowa shot six people at a high school, one of them died. Then the student took his own life. It happened on the first day back to school after the holidays.
Police found a simple homemade bomb at Perry High School and made it safe.
Five people who were shot were students and one person was a school administrator.
The student who passed away was in the sixth grade, which is for kids who are 11 or 12 years old.
Police received reports of someone shooting a gun at 7:37 in the morning. The first officer got to the place a few minutes later.
Mitch Mortvedt, who works for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, told reporters that the police found the person they believe is responsible for the shooting. The person had shot themselves.
People from the neighborhood came together at Wiese park on Thursday night. They held candles to remember the victims.
They found out that the suspect is Dylan Butler, who is a 17-year-old student. The police said he had a shotgun and a handgun.
MrMortvedt also said that the suspect had made a lot of posts on social media around the time of the shooting.
MrMortvedt said one person was seriously hurt and four others were not as badly injured.
Earlier today, Sheriff Adam Infante of Dallas County said that because it was early in the day, there were only a few students and teachers in the building, which he believes helped make the situation better.
Lori Meinecke, a teacher at Perry High School, said she heard six or seven gunshots on a local radio station.
The middle school was emptied at around 08:25 in the morning and the high school was emptied at 08:27 in the morning. The two schools are located together on the same campus.
A man named Kevin Shelley talked to a TV station. He said his 15-year-old son had been shot in the hallway, but he would be okay.
Mr Shelley’s son said he was hit in the back and got a scrape on his arm. Then he went into a classroom to hide with his friends.
Investigators from the FBI and ATF came to help. The Iowa police department was in charge of the investigation.
“It’s really, really bad,” said Linda Andorf, who is in charge of the school board for Perry Community School District, according to NBC. This is really gross. “It’s really bad. ”
“Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said at a press conference that it’s hard to understand why something like this happens. She also said that all Iowans support the victims and their families. ”
The White House said that President Joe Biden learned about the shooting and spoke with Governor Reynolds’s office.
Perry is a small town with less than 10,000 people. It’s about 40 miles away from Des Moines, which is the capital of Iowa. It’s in the northwest direction from Des Moines.
The shooting happened just a few days before the Iowa caucuses start on January 15th, which is the beginning of the 2024 Republican primary elections.
The shooting happened while one of the Republican candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy, was supposed to campaign in Perry. The event was called off, and instead, there was a prayer and a talk between Mr Ramaswamy and the people who live nearby.
A man who is thought to have stabbed the opposition leader of South Korea was officially arrested for trying to kill him.
Kim, a man in his 60s, was caught by the police right after the attack and taken into custody.
Lee Jae-myung, the politician, is no longer in intensive care.
Lee got stabbed in the neck with a camping knife in the southern city of Busan. The attacker pretended to be someone asking for an autograph.
A doctor who operated on Lee said that he is getting better after the surgery. The surgery fixed a big blood vessel in his neck.
Professor Min Seung-kee said that he needs to keep an eye on the person because they are worried about them getting more infections or having problems after their surgery because of the injury they had.
It’s still not clear why the attack happened. Kim told reporters that he gave an eight-page note to the police explaining why he did it.
He also told the police that he planned to kill Lee, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The police found out that he had been following Lee since June last year, according to Yonhap.
Kim has strong political beliefs and purchased the knife on the internet. The police arrested the suspect, so they can keep holding him.
The stabbing surprised the country and made people wonder if important politicians are safe. Both Lee’s party and the country’s ruling party disapproved of it.
South Korea has very strict rules about owning guns and other weapons. Most important people usually do not have a lot of security protection.
The crime rate in the country is usually not very high, but there were more mass stabbing attacks last year. In the past, there have been many times when politicians were attacked with weapons.
Lee leads the main opposition party in Korea. He wants his party to win the most seats in the parliament in the April elections. He lost the presidential elections in 2022 by a very small amount of votes and wants to make a comeback. Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative party won the presidential elections.
Describe him as a modern-day renaissance man and you wouldn’t be far from right. Blitz Bazawule is the director of the latest film adaptation of Alice Walker’s iconic novel “The Color Purple”.
A native of the West African nation Ghana, Bazawule has co-directed a Beyoncé film, penned a novel, showcased his musical talents globally, and even set a Netflix record.
Now, he embraces his latest endeavor: bringing to life the powerful and Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative of a young black woman battling racism and patriarchy in America through a musical adaptation of Walker’s timeless work. The film premiered in the U.S. on Christmas Day, according to the BBC.
Bazawule’s Color Purple draws inspiration from a 1985 film adaptation that won actress Whoopi Goldberg a Golden Globe, and a Broadway musical that opened in 2005.
Born Samuel Bazawule in Accra, Ghana, the Atlanta-based artist faced the high-pressure challenge of directing a second film version of this celebrated classic. However, his credentials, including a background in drawing and a diverse artistic career, positioned him well for the task.
Known for his diverse artistic pursuits, the film director harbors a deep passion for music, encompassing genres such as jazz, Ghanaian highlife, Motown, and Afrobeat. Yet, it was hip-hop, specifically Public Enemy’s groundbreaking 1988 album “It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back,” that left the most significant impression on him.
“I had never heard young black people express themselves in that way before,” Bazawule argued.
Influenced by Public Enemy, the young Ghanaian who left Accra to study at Kent State University embarked on a music journey. After graduation, he relocated to New York, the birthplace of hip-hop, to pursue his musical career.
Operating under the moniker Blitz the Ambassador, he has released four studio albums, showcasing his rap skills in English, the Ghanaian language Twi, and West African Pidgin.
Bazawule has collaborated with notable African music stars such as Seun Kuti, Angelique Kidjo, and Nneka in his songs. In a noteworthy full-circle moment, Chuck D of Public Enemy appears on Bazawule’s 2011 album “Native Sun.”
Demonstrating his artistic versatility, Bazawule later used earnings from his performances to finance his critically acclaimed debut feature film, “The Burial of Kojo.”
“I realized no investor was interested in financing an African film that didn’t revolve around the narrow clichés of war and disease. Self-funding was my only option,” Bazawule wrote on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, as he attempted to raise more money for post-production.
“The Burial of Kojo” employs magical realism to narrate the tale of a young girl’s quest to find her missing father, who disappeared while working in a Ghanaian gold mine. Filmed in Ghana with a local cast predominantly speaking Twi, Bazawule both composed and performed the film’s score.
Explaining why he used the multifaceted nature of filmmaking, he indicated that he combined elements of writing, visual artistry, and music, which he describes as a quintessential mix of all creative endeavors. The film premiered in 2018 and showcased Bazawule’s diverse talents in the cinematic realm.
Hichilema’s Leadership Shines Amidst Unfounded Criticisms by Socialist Party President Fred Mmembe
By Lucky Munakampe(Munati Television) 05/01/2024
In recent days, the political landscape in Zambia has witnessed Socialist Party President Dr. Fred Mmembe leveling criticisms against Republican President Hakainde Hichilema. However, considering Dr. Mmembe’s questionable track record, one must scrutinize the credibility of his accusations. His past, marked by the liquidation of his company for tax avoidance and failure to meet statutory obligations, raises serious doubts about his ability to manage the national treasury.
Adding to the skepticism is Dr. Mmembe’s curious alliance with the former ruling party, the Patriotic Front (PF). Under PF rule, Zambia faced severe human rights abuses, rampant corruption, and an atmosphere of fear perpetuated by cadre violence. Dr. Mmembe’s association with the PF, accused of stifling democratic space during its reign, raises eyebrows when he now accuses President Hichilema of similar offenses without providing concrete evidence.
Critically, Dr. Mmembe’s accusations about President Hichilema’s alleged refusal to declare assets conveniently overlook the fact that the PF removed this requirement from the law prior to the 2021 General Elections. This deliberate omission in Dr. Mmembe’s critique exposes a lack of specificity and raises questions about the sincerity of his claims.
Contrastingly, President Hichilema has a track record of integrity. His consistent declarations of wealth since entering politics in 2006, except for the 2021 elections when the provision was removed, reflect transparency and accountability.
Moving beyond baseless allegations, President Hichilema’s leadership has achieved significant milestones within just two years:
1. Anti-Corruption Drive: President Hichilema’s commitment to fighting corruption goes beyond rhetoric. Ministers and permanent secretaries facing legal issues have been held accountable, either resigning or being dismissed.
2. Pension Reforms: Introducing a 20% partial withdrawal for qualifying individuals to invest in business ventures, promoting economic empowerment.
4. CDF Budget Increase: Significantly raising the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) budget from K1.6 million to nearly K30 million, empowering youth and women in business and fostering community-driven development.
5. Healthcare Improvements: Recruiting additional healthcare professionals, completing abandoned projects, and ensuring the availability of essential medicines in public hospitals.
6. Economic Development: President Hichilema’s proactive approach to debt restructuring, mining policy changes, and agriculture reforms demonstrate a commitment to economic growth, job creation, and food security.
7. Education Empowerment: The recruitment of over 30,000 teachers underscores President Hichilema’s commitment to enhancing the education system, ensuring a brighter future for Zambia’s youth.
8. Strengthening National Security: The enlistment of over 6,000 youths into the Zambia Defense Forces demonstrates a strategic move towards bolstering national security, addressing unemployment, and providing opportunities for the nation’s youth.
As Zambia’s debt restructuring nears completion, coupled with visionary policies, President Hichilema is steering the nation towards a brighter economic future. His encouragement for citizens to engage in cattle ranching and support for local manufacturing of fertilizer contribute to job creation and reduced production costs.
In conclusion, President Hichilema’s tangible achievements speak louder than baseless accusations. Despite Dr. Mmembe’s criticism, President Hichilema remains the people’s favorite, and his transformative leadership continues to instill confidence in the citizens of Zambia.
Fred M’membe likes sweeping statements on corruption without citing anybody by name . He also likes being generic in looking at fundamental rights and freedoms without stating comparatively, between , where we are coming from under the PF where citizens were being gassed , and killed like Nsama Nsama , Joseph Kaunda , Mapenzi Chibulo , Kasongo , Lawrence Banda , and where we are now under the UPND .
If someone has never heard of the PF , upon listening to Fred , one would think we are coming from a leadership that respected fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.
However, what we see in Fred is shallow propaganda working on the psychology of citizens that forget easily , with a stolen approach to politics, by him copying and pasting almost everything that UPND used in opposition and thinks he can win without studying carefully how the UPND arrived at some of those issues.
What he is failing to understand is , what were the existing state of affairs under the PF?
Then , Former PF member Fred raised concern on the following issues I would like to deal with in summary , one at a time :
CORRUPTION
What Fred M’membe is failing to understand is that at his time under PF , corruption was institutionalized and people could not be fired or arrested or resign on matters relating to corruption.
According to the Transparency International, Zambia’s Corruption Perceptions Index under the PF , to which Fred M’membe belonged , had reached an all high .
To the contrary, Under the UPND New Dawn Government, we have seen ministers, permanent Secretaries getting fired for illegality and other corruption related matters , and the Anti- Corruption Commission freely investigating such matters .
We have a government that can go public to announce 100% payment of CDF for 2023 , which was not fashionable under Fred and his friends in PF .
Back then citizens didn’t even know who was paid and who was not the CDF , until the Auditor General’s report was out .
we are coming from a government of over 3000 ghost workers . This is according to the Auditor General’s report 2022. This simply means they manufactured non existent civil servants in order to steal public funds .
With the clean up of the civil service record , it is a milestone in the fight against corruption.
HEALTH CARE
Fred lacks researched information. What he misses in his critique are facts on available data .
Firstly , when the UPND took over office in 2021 , we found the PF government had allocated about K1.4billon towards the purchase of medicine and medical supplies. And the purchase was at 30 percent.
In 2022, the UPND New Dawn Government increased allocation to k3.4billion and the purchase of medicine and medical supplies increased to 53percent .
The World Health Organization threshold is 70 percent and above .
In 2023 , we allocated K4.6 billion towards medical supplies and medicine purchase , allowing the percentage to move to slightly above 70 percent.
This is a fundamental milestone which Zambia has not seen after the early days of UNIP .
Am not sure whether Fred listens to himself .
HEALTH FACILITIES
M’membe is ignorant of the fact that in less than 2 years , UPND has been able to build over 200 health posts across the country under the CDF and employed over 14,000 health workers who include nurses , doctors , pharmacists , etc , and this has never happened since independence in Zambia.
Citizens are aware of these facts .
With the K28.3 million CDF , many constituencies have been able to build health posts to beef up existing infrastructure . These health posts have since been handed over for operation.
What Fred does not know is that , many of those projects that stalled under the PF leadership were also completed by the UPND immediately after assuming power.
Further in 2023, government released about k300 million to commence construction of the first ever cancer hospital on Copperbelt and later on in Livingstone in 2024 .
Fred and the PF had time to make history by ensuring there was quality medical services but they failed lamentably and started fighting for presidency within PF . We witnessed the worst scandals in the procurement of medicine under the PF ever .
Citizens do well remember how Dr Chitalu Chilufya was used as a scapegoat by the ECL administration and Fred has never seen anything wrong with this .
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Fred criticized president HH on the cost of living without looking at the economic performance by sector and how we found ourselves where we are today .
What he misses is that the economic situation was firstly messed up by Fred M’membe and his friends when they took over a country which had cleared Zambia’s debt but only destroyed the economy by overborrowing until Zambia reached the ICU where UPND found it.
Consequences of borrowing under Fred M’membe and his friends started showing 7 years later after the PF borrowed and they continue to haunt us today .
Initially, Fred with his Post Newspaper praised the borrowing and went out with ululations , but see now the consequences of your debt ; we are in trouble .
Kwacha was around k3.8 to $1 dollar , but they moved it up by over 600% to k23, then K17.9 for elections.
When KCM was liquidated , sending thousands of citizens to joblessness, which Fred supported and celebrated the closure of winding up of the mine , it meant that copper production became law because KCM is the second biggest mine in Zambia .
It also meant that the export of copper to attract more forex into the country reduced as well .
Further , the failure by PF to run Mopani making Mopani retrench more than 4000 workers meant that copper production again reduced, putting pressure on a Kwacha and making it vulnerable because there was very little exports to attract forex into Zambia .
As a solution , the UPND New Dawn government have secured an equity partner to from Abu Dabi to pump in $1.1bn to revamp Mopani and government would soon close the reversal of the liquidation of KCM to help fix the currency and claim back lost jobs . Fred can’t see all this!
To make the matters worse on Fred’s hypothetical approach , the borrowing which also killed our economy and Kwacha was from the people he , today , calls imperialists and this is how hypocritical he is . After praising the borrowing with the post newspaper, he turns round and calls them imperialists today .
He now poses as a socialist after running a capitalist newspaper sponsored by imperialist companies .
To cheat citizens and to find a way of fundraising , he has to dupe other socialist countries; he has to call himself a socialist , but fails to explain how he ran a capitalist newspaper that never paid attention to statutory obligations or failed to pay taxes.
Many people may recall that due to his hypocrisy, and malice , Fred M’membe and Kabimba were ejected from PF and later formed their own PF socialist party. This was after they ran down the economy in PF using capitalism which he now insults to cheat funders.
He is also forgetting that the country’s GDP under PF went down to around negative 2 %.
PF , then , reached a stage where they could hardly recruit workers even in the teaching service and health sector and failed to pay retirees.
The situation got worse when they failed to pay council workers , farmers for goods supplied to FRA , then started engaging in what looked like state sponsored terrorism and firing those who spoke out.
There was a massive crackdown on on some ethnic groups in the civil service and political opponents with HH also as a victim .
Fred saw nothing wrong with this style of leadership. This is why I doubt his reasoning .
Fred M’membe celebrated the arrests of HH and called him names , and a person that called trouble on himself.
Everything about PF bad behavior in government was good to him and this is why he can easily partner with those with like minds .
In all HH arrests , Fred blamed it on HH and saw nothing wrong with fundamental rights and freedoms violations .
When the UPND took over leadership , the economy improved to over 2% , with an investment of $3.8billion in less than a year .
Indeni was reopened and over 1500 workers got back their jobs ; 258,000 farmers were paid their money and council workers who were owed up to 7 months and 15 months salary arrears were paid their arrears , and TAZAMA workers were paid their dues .
Today , under the UPND New Dawn Government , we can now be talking of massive recruitment of youths in health , teaching , engineering, accountancy in Local Government, Defense , and police , which is an economic issue because these youths can now have an income on a monthly basis.
Fred cannot tell citizens today that the economic challenges faced today are partly , as a result of reckless borrowing under the PF .
As a result of that , we have a long debt restructuring process , which debt they recklessly accrued under the PF .
To resolve the problem the UPND government has put in place what is called ,” domestic debt dismantling strategy 2022-2026,” and enacted the Debt Management Act No. 15 of 2022.
Further ,as a way of resolving the cost of mealie meal , the UPND has introduced a credit facility to support farmers with land to produce more in order to push the cost of mealie meal done .
Further , government has increased the number of players on the market by bringing in ZNS to run some farm blocks , and Zambia Correctional Facilities to engage in maize growing in order for us to beat the demand thereby pushing the price down .
Government has also created an enabling environment for locally produced fertilizer through a $138 million investment in the manufacturing plant , which once at full capacity , shall produce 300,000 metric tons of Urea and 700,000 metric tons of D compound.
Government is also offering skillls in training in general agriculture under the CDF .
All these are initiatives which don’t make sense to propagandists like Fred .
As for fuel , while government agrees that fuel is expensive , no country is selling cheap fuel anywhere in the world . Differences in prices are in cents only .
The fuel price upward adjustment has been triggered by the Ukraine – Russia war .
Some People may know that about 60% of oil which Europe consumes comes from Russia . With the situation there , there is a high demand of the commodity and this has adversely affected the world price of fuel and eventually the economy.
However, government has slightly reduced the shock by reopening Indeni and reconfiguring it and removing some taxes on imported fuel . This is why fuel is more expensive in the neighboring Tanzania than in Zambia .
When fuel is expensive , prices of commodities usually go up as well .
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Fred cannot tell us anything about accountability and transparency. According to the ZRA report then , this is a man who was not transparent with Pay as You Earn at the Post Newpspaper . He deducted PAYE from workers at the Post but failed to remit to ZRA (ZRA Report ).
In other words ,he was evading tax .He failed to pay taxes under the Post Newspaper. A man who cannot obey statutory obligations cannot be transparent in anything and cannot be trusted . Given and opportunity to run the country, he can run down the economy. He is a bad example to youths on adherence to taxes .
He failed to account for Statutory obligations thus , it is hypocritical for him to ask about accountability and transparency today .
Today , In enhancing transparency and accountability, UPND has performed better than Fred M’membe’s PF by improving fiscal discipline and restoring budget credibility, enacted ATI law for transparency and accountability .
Today , government emerged victorious over the much talked about Access to information Bill and it is now law .
Under the PF , Fred M’membe and his friends feared to account for public expenditure , including paying taxes under the Post Newspaper thus refused to enact the access to information law .
To enhance transparency and accountability , the UPND government have further established the fast- track court to ensure speedy recovery of stolen resources .
Fred is aware that some of his friends whom they dined with under the PF government are appearing for various offences in court today .
Because at his time , theft of public funds was institutionalized , he calls the fight against corruption as ‘ persecution’ and abuse of fundamental rights and freedoms. This kind of reasoning is criminal and an assault on transparency and accountability of public resources.
With Fred , stealing of public resources is a right ! This is why he can defend those who were entrusted with public resources under the PF but mismanaged them . Clearly , citizens can see that he does not mean well for the country.
Citizens may recall that to fight corruption , Edgar Lungu had to fight law enforcement institutions like FIC and waged war against its CEO , Mary Chirwa for disclosing a report on financial crimes under the PF , whom Fred has continued to have alliances with .
For Fred , theft is a right no-wonder you will never hear of Fred talking of abuse of public funds under the PF . He even went to bed with them through marriage ceremonies that ignited , and aroused his emotions and libido for supporting Bill 10.
Fred was willing to kill democracy forever by supporting a destructive Bill 10 . Today he should be talking about accountability! Really ?
Imagine we brought back the same Bill with the same content ; will he support it ? I doubt especially that he lacks consistency.
“Former PF member” (ECL camp) Fred is going to bed with are a band of plunderers who failed to create jobs for the youths . It seems they miss the illegal Mukula exports and theft of public funds.
CRONYISM
For avoidance of doubt , “cronyism is the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.there are complaints that cronyism is behind the rise of various executives through the ranks”.
Fred M’membe was an architect of Cronyism as could be seen how he took over the information and publicity of President Michael Sata.
He could either recommend a PS for information from the Post Newspaper or a friend from the Post Newspaper for other appointments. I will not mention names of his associates because they are not a subject of discussion but readers do remember them .Fred is a typical hypocrite.
All information was managed by his associates or cronies .
For interest sake , whom does Fred want HH to appoint? Or does he want HH to consult him on who to appoint? Does Fred want HH to appoint him and Dr Musumali? Certainly not !! It is just an abomination for Fred to talk about cronyism when he is the main architect.
Clearly , Fred has run out of ideas , if at all he has any . He literally fails to create checks and balances that can sell to electorates . He is stuck to the same rantings of the PostNewspaper.
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Fred should be ashamed that the Post Newspaper is no more , and he cannot talk about it as a crack down on the media freedom, simply because it fits him to dine with ECL today , who closed it at the expense of the workers that lost jobs and many are still suffering to date .
Due to his bad behavior of abusing his Post Newspaper to insult others , and failure to pay various taxes as reported by ZRA , plus failing to pay workers their dues , ECL closed the Post through liquidation .
Everyone knows that under the PF , even the Mast Newspaper was headed for closure .
Today , Fred is abusing the same paper everyday and is freely writing what he wants without anyone following him , yet he believes this is a bad environment .
How I wish he could appeal to himself that had it been ECL in power , Fred could have been on the run .
Today ,he is able to freely go on various media platforms to insult and be covered without censorship, an undertaking which was not fashionable the time him and the PF were in power .
Everyone knows how divisive the post newspaper was and how he used it to insult other tribal groupings . What Fred is simply telling us is that It was then appropriate to close such a media since it was a threat to national security. If that be the case , then we shall say Congratulations to President Edgar Lungu . You taught him a lesson.
He is talking about approaching elections when he came out number 5 in the previous elections. Is he sure under Multi-party democracy, we have a leader that ever won from number 5 to victory ? He must come to terms with reality and realize that citizens are not gullible .
Has he got even shadow MPs that can win elections in many places unsettling existing MPs? Does he listen to himself ? Does he know how many MPs in parliament respect him and would want to be under his leadership?
Am sure those who listen to him are being fooled . They should conduct a serious introspection and survey after which they will vow never to be fooled by Fred anymore.
STATEMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2024 NATIONAL BUDGET
Welcome and happy new year.
Today we focus on 2024. We are still collecting data on 2023 budget performance. It will require analysis before being shared.
The briefing has been convened to share points of emphasis on the 2024 Budget presented to Parliament on 28th September, 2023, approved on 14th December, 2023, and which came into effect on 1st January, 2024.
The 2024 Budget is K177.9 billion.
It is expected to be funded from 3 key sources, namely:
1) K141.1 billion domestic revenues translating to 79 percent of the budget;
2) K3.4 billion as expected grants from co-operating partners translating to 2 percent of the 2024 Budget; and,
3) Financing (borrowing) amounting to K33.3 billion & translating to 19 percent of the budget or 5.2 percent of GDP.
In the 2024 Budget, the Government has set out key objectives targeted at unlocking Zambia’s economic potential.
These are:
1) Attaining a real GDP growth rate of at least 4.8 percent;
2) Reducing inflation to the 6-8 percent medium-term target band;
3) Maintaining international reserves above 3 months of import cover;
4) Increasing domestic revenue to at least 22 percent of GDP;
5) Reducing the fiscal deficit to 4.8 percent of GDP; and
6) Limiting domestic borrowing to no more than 2.5 percent of GDP.
Given the foregoing resource envelope and key objectives, expenditure policies to be implemented in 2024 are premised on the thematic areas of the Eight National Development Plan (8NDP) i.e. Economic Transformation & Job Creation, Human & Social Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Good Governance Environment.
A. ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION & JOB CREATION
K40 billion was approved by Parliament under this pillar for the following sectors:
1) Roads: The Government will construct, rehabilitate, and maintain roads, including feeder roads across the country at a cost of K8.3 billion;
2) Agriculture, Fisheries and livestock: K13.8 billion was approved, of which:
i) Implementation of the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), K8.6 billion;
ii) Purchase of grains, K1.7 billion;
iii) Irrigation and farm block development, K598.4 million; and,
iv) Animal Disease Control, K498 million.
3) CDF: I take this opportunity to confirm that the entire 2023 CDF allocation was released by the close of December, 2023. Residual CDF funds from 2023 have been retained for use by each constituency this year. On the other hand, Parliament approved the increase of total CDF allocation to K4.8 billion in 2024 from K3.55 Billion in 2023. This means, each constituency will receive K30.6 million in 2024. Compare this to the K28.3 million allocated to them in 2023, let alone, the K1.6 million per constituency allocated in 2021 by the previous administration.
We encourage fellow citizens to take advantage of the CDF bursary facilities to ensure that children are in school.
B. HUMAN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Parliament approved K60 billion for the 2024 Budget to implement the following key policy measures:
1) Education: K27.4 billion to be spent on, among others:
a) Recruitment of 4,200 teachers and 1,200 non-teaching staff, K356.1 million;
b) Continuation of the free education policy, K1.9 billion. Of this amount, K518.4 million has so far been released as school grants to support effective operations of various public schools which are scheduled to open next week.; and
c) Completion of previously abandoned secondary schools, K338.3 million.
2) Health: K20.9 billion to be spent on, among others:
i) Recruitment of 4,000 health personnel, K344.1 million;
ii) Completing construction of remaining 4 mini-hospitals in Phase I & commencing construction of 135 mini-hospitals under Phase II – approx. K239.8 million; and,
iii) Procuring medicines and medical supplies to support delivery of health services – K5 billion.
3) Housing and Community Amenities: Parliament approved K2.7 billion to construct 28 dams and rehabilitate 6 others.
4) Public Service Pension Fund: Parliament approved K3.9 billion for the Public Service Pension Fund in an effort to reduce the waiting time for pension payments.
C. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Parliament approved K1.4 billion for implementation of environmental protection programmes and to aid build resilience against the effects of climate change in line with the COP 28 Agenda.
In addition, 50 automatic weather stations will be installed to improve weather advisory services to the agriculture community and other stakeholders.
D. GOOD GOVERNANCE ENVIRONMENT
Among other policy measures, the following were approved by Parliament:
1) Reduce budget deficit on cash basis, to 4.8 percent of GDP from projected outturn of 5.3 percent in 2023;
2) Enhance compliance by implementing tax administrative interventions that leverage on technology – and changing the operating model for the Zambia Revenue Authority; and,
3) Commence consultations to introduce a unified Tax Administration Act to enable the harmonisation of tax treatment across different tax types and ease tax administration.
To support the above-mentioned expenditure policies, we will raise domestic revenues amounting to K141.1 billion, broken down as follows:
1) K61.3 billion or 34 percent of the 2024 budget from Income Tax;
2) K36.4 billion or 20 percent of the budget from Value Added Tax;
3) K16.9 billion or 9 percent of the budget from Customs and Excise duties (including export duties); and,
4) K26.5 billion or 15 percent of the budget from Non-Tax Revenue (Fees, Levies, Fines etc).
SOME EMPOWERMENT & BUSINESS FACILITATION INTERVENTIONS IN THE 2024 BUDGET
9) Livelihood Empowerment Scheme (Ministry of Community Development), K102.3 million;
10) Farmer Input Support Programme, K8.6 billion;
11) Credit Guarantee Scheme, K386 million;
12) SME Empowerment Funds (CEEC), K391.9 million; and,
13) Public Sector Credit Facility, K150 million.
RESOURCE MOBILISATION
To raise the domestic revenues, Parliament authorized the Government to implement the following revenue measures, according to the tax type:
1) INCOME
a) Extend the 2 percent local content allowance on income earned from value addition to sorghum and millet in order to encourage local value addition;
b) Provide tax holiday for producers of seeds, ginning and spinning of cotton in order to revitalize the cotton value chain;
c) Increase the Pay-As-You-Earn tax-free threshold for individuals to sixty-one-thousand-two-hundred Kwacha per annum from fifty-seven-thousand-six-hundred Kwacha per annum. Parliament also gave us authority to reduce the top-marginal tax rate to thirty-seven percent, and adjust the income bands accordingly; and,
d) Increase the discount on applicable corporate income tax rate from 14.2 percent to 20 percent for first 5 years of operation, for all businesses in rural areas, except mining.
2) CUSTOMS AND EXCISE
a) Remove customs duty on electric motor cycles, electric vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and attendant accessories such as charging systems;
b) Reduce excise duty to 25 percent from 30 percent on hybrid vehicles designed for the transportation of persons;
c) Remove customs duty on machinery, equipment and other goods designed for petroleum exploration;
d) Remove customs duty on machinery, equipment and other goods designed for geothermal energy activities; and,
e) Expand the list of selected media, film and music equipment for which customs duty was suspended in the 2023 Budget. The relief on customs duty will be for a period of 3 years.
3) VALUE ADDED TAX
a) Increase the period in which a business can claim a refund on VAT incurred on eligible goods before the commencement of commercial operations to 7 years from the current 4 years for hydroelectricity generation in order to promote power generation; and,
b) Increase the period in which a business can claim a refund on VAT incurred on eligible goods before the commencement of commercial operations to 7 years from the current 4 years for hydroelectricity generation.
4) NON-TAX
a) Increase toll tariffs for heavy duty trucks with 4 axle and above by K100 and abnormal load vehicles by K300; and
b) Introduce a levy of between 8 ngwee and K1.80 on the transaction value for person-to-person mobile money transfers.
5) ANNUAL BORROWING PLAN (ABP)
a) Parliament gave authority to Government to borrow K33.3 billion translating into 19 percent of the budget or 5.2 percent of GDP;
b) The K33.3 billion borrowing will be financed through domestic and external borrowing amounting to K16.3 billion and K17.0 billion respectively;
c) Domestic financing will be raised through the issuance of Treasury Bills and Government Bonds, while external financing is mainly from disbursements on already contracted loans as approved in the ABP;
d) Contraction of any new external loan will be restricted to concessional terms, largely from multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and African Development Bank. As part of performance tracking, the Ministry will provide updates to the National Assembly on the implementation of the 2024 ABP, at mid and end year;
e) To restore debt sustainability, the Ministry will continue to make progress on the debt restructuring exercise. The debt restructuring once concluded will free up financial resources which will be channelled to strategic social and economic sectors.
6) DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION
a) Grants from co-operating partners amounting to K3.4 billion translating to 2 percent of the Budget;
b) 3rd IMF ECF Review in April, 2024 and 4th in October or November, 2024. We anticipate more disbursements from the fund this year, once successfully reviewed. We will stick to the ECF programme objectives as that is what our economy requires to continue its recovery.
7) BUDGET RELATED LEGISLATION
To support the implementation of the 2024 National Budget, Parliament approved the following legislation:
a) The Mobile Money Transaction Levy Act No. 16 of 2023;
b) The Income Tax (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2023;
c) The Customs and Excise (Amendment) Act No. 25 of 2023;
d) The Zambia Revenue Authority (Amendment) Act No. 26 of 2023;
e) The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, No. 27 of 2023; and,
f) The Appropriation Act No. 29 of 2023.
8 CONCLUSION
a) 2024 is the year for further unlocking Zambia’s economic potential (budget theme);
b) Above measures are targeted at growth, especially with action taken to increase CDF, boost productivity in the agriculture and livestock sector, and accelerate mining production through KCM, Mopani and other existing and future players;
c) The public sector has been positioned to ensure that all efforts are made to lessen the encumbrances faced by citizens in doing business;
d) Continue with zero tolerance to corruption and prudent financial management; and,
e) Having acquired the support of Parliament, we need the support of all other citizens to ensure that the 2024 Budget is implemented smoothly.
Donald Trump wants the US Supreme Court to change a decision made in Colorado that said he couldn’t run for president there.
Colorado’s highest court said last month that Mr. Trump could not run in the primary election because he was involved in the riot at the US Capitol.
He asked for the decision to be reviewed one day after challenging a similar decision in Maine.
Many lawsuits have been filed in different states trying to prevent Mr. Trump from being on the November 2024 ballot.
Courts in Minnesota and Michigan have rejected efforts to disqualify the former US president and leading Republican candidate, while other cases are still pending. “Cases, including those in Oregon, are still waiting to be resolved. ”
Mr Trump is asking the highest court in the country to decide if he can run for federal office in Colorado. The nine Supreme Court judges will have to make a very important decision.
The Republican elections in Colorado and Maine are happening on March 5th, which is called Super Tuesday. It’s when a lot of states have their votes to pick their party candidates. Postal votes must be sent out early, so the Supreme Court is being urged to make a decision soon.
The Supreme Court decision about whether Mr. Trump can run for president because of a Civil War law would apply to everyone in the country.
The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution stops people who have rebelled against the government from holding federal jobs. But the ex-president’s lawyers say this rule doesn’t apply to the president.
The Trump campaign said that the Colorado Supreme Court and President Biden are trying to stop American voters from voting for President Trump.
“This is an act of interference in the election that goes against what America stands for and is against the rules of our government,” said Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the campaign.
“We want the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to be rejected and we want a fair election in November. ”
The Colorado Supreme Court made a close decision, with four judges supporting it and three judges opposing it. All seven judges were chosen by leaders who are Democrats.
It was expected that Mr. Trump would ask the Supreme Court for help. They have to wait to decide if he will be taken off the ballot in Colorado and Maine because there are legal problems that need to be fixed first.
The highest court has more conservative judges, and three of them were picked by Donald Trump when he was president.
However, during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said that the ex-president was worried that the Supreme Court, which mostly leans conservative, might make a decision against him because they don’t want to support Trump.
“He has told me and everyone else publicly about his concern, not privately,” she said. “And I can say that he has a good reason to be concerned. ”
The Colorado case is the first time in the history of the United States that the 14th Amendment has been used to remove a presidential candidate from the election.
Mr Trump is being investigated for trying to change the election results, but he has not been accused of starting a riot in either court case.
Legal experts explained that the Colorado case caused a lot of disagreement in politics, and it made the Supreme Court’s job very challenging.
“The Supreme Court is being asked to decide what democracy can and cannot do,” said Samuel Issacharoff, a professor of law at New York University.
Prof Issacharoff said that the former president has a lot of people who really like him, but also a lot of people who really don’t like him.
On Tuesday, David Janovksy, who works at a group that watches over the government, said it’s good that the Supreme Court is looking at the issue. He thinks it’s the best way to solve the issue for the whole country.
“He said that because Colorado and Maine have made this decision, while other states have not, this could be a good reason for the Supreme Court to make a decision about it. ”
Malama Stanley – Mindset Activist writes THE “ICHABAICHE” MOVEMENT BY HON BINWELL MPUNDU IS A CANCER OF CONFUSION. YOUTHS SHOULD IGNORE THAT & JOIN EFF.
I have a very serious concern that I want to inform the nation. Recently, I have been reading people posting ‘Ichabaiche’ on social media, so I didn’t know what that meant. Therefore, I decided to look around for more information and I realized that it’s Hon Binwell Mpundu who has started the movement.
However, for now, I will treat that movement as a political party.I am very disappointed, first of all. How can we have another political party for youths when we already have one that is currently doing fine, the one for President Kasonde Mwenda? You see, this is why us Bembas are not united because we don’t know how to support each other. On the southern side, you will never hear our colleagues forming movements or political parties; they are united.
Furthermore, the leader of this same movement, Binwell Mpundu, does not have a likable character, and he is not even strong enough to withstand police arrests and sleep in cells. He has so much fear. Sooner or later, this same movement will die a natural death when he gets arrested just once. On the other hand, Kasonde Mwende is thick-skinned. He has been barked at in pure metal, and he is fearless. He is the kind of person who will never let you walk alone; he will be there for his followers no matter what.
I wonder where Hon Binwell got the advice from because he doesn’t pick up calls since he became an MP, even from his own constituents. For those who know him, how will he make a good leader? So, for now, that nonsense movement should be ignored. It is just here to confuse us. For those who want to join the real ‘Ichabaiche’ EFF party, led by president Mwenda it is there, and it’s a political party for youthful individuals who want to stand for the truth and provide proper checks and balances.
Therefore, Hon Binwell Mpundu is just wasting his time. Let him humble himself and join forces with President Mwende because, for now, let’s forget about making names or having titles as political party presidents. Our common enemy right now is hunger. Malama Stanley Mindset Activist
Brad Setser is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Treasury Department official. Theo Maret is a research analyst at Global Sovereign Advisory and writes a sovereign debt newsletter.
When Zambia announced an agreement with bondholders to restructure its three outstanding Eurobonds, many thought the G20’s Common Framework would finally be able to notch its first major success.
Alas, the deal was rejected several times by the official sector and the way forward is now unclear.
Bondholders are irate.
At the heart of the intra-creditor skirmish lies the thorny question of what constitutes comparable treatment for different creditors.
Comparability has been the longstanding norm linking the treatments of official and commercial claims.
But the assessment is now complicated by a fragmented creditor landscape, limited transparency about the stock of official claims and a lack of trust in existing methodologies, which have grown rusty in the absence of regular use prior to the pandemic.
Let’s dive in.
Comparability 101
Any bond restructuring for Zambia must pass two tests: it must meet the IMF program targets, and it must be judged to be comparable with the complicated deal Zambia reached with its official creditors back in late June.
IMF targets include indicators derived from the Fund’s debt sustainability analysis — for Zambia, external-debt-to-exports and external-debt-service-to-revenue ratios — as well as the closing of balance-of-payments financing gaps for each year of the IMF program.
Comparability of treatment is the idea that the terms of the private bank and bond restructurings should be “comparable” to the terms of the restructuring of official bilateral creditors, ie loans made by other governments and government-backed export credit agencies.
To assess comparability, the Paris Club uses three different formulas:
nominal debt service relief over the IMF program period, extension of the duration of the claims, and reduction of the debt stock in present-value terms (see this World Bank note for more details).
Official creditors then make a judgment based on the three comparisons.
The inclusion of China among official creditors has generated pressure to firm up the comparability requirement.
China isn’t keen to subsidise private bondholders which it considers have gotten too sweet deals in the past (private creditors notably did not participate in the 2020 G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative).
At the same time, traditional bilateral lenders aren’t keen to subsidise Chinese lending that is sometimes perceived as . . . reckless.
Making sense of what happened in Zambia
Zambia’s debt stock is complex, with a mix of official creditors — the largest being the Export-Import Bank of China with over $4bn owed — another $3.85bn in Eurobond claims, and about $3.5bn owed to commercial banks, including large Chinese state banks.
There’s also $2.7bn in non-resident holdings of local currency bonds, excluded from the restructuring but counted as external debt by the IMF.
Virtually every substantive issue possible in a restructuring is thus on the agenda (zoomable version).
The IMF’s objections, luckily, were narrow — Zambia and bondholders agreed to make the adjustments needed in an updated deal. Yet even with the adjustment, the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) did not bless the deal.
Bondholders have provided a table showing how their proposed deal scores on the three comparability criteria. The OCC did not push back on the below numbers, so we’ll take them at face value (pun intended).
NB, it’s been reported that a third version of the deal was presented by the country to official creditors, and rejected again, but no details have publicly emerged, and we understand it is close to these last public figures (zoomable version).
The table shows that bondholders have a strong preference for short-term cash flows, and thus the debate becomes how much additional present-value reduction is needed to compensate for more upfront cash — the 1 percentage point embedded in the base scenario is apparently not enough for the Paris Club and China.
This stalemate illustrates the main issue with the current implementation of comparability: it’s ultimately a subjective judgment, making it impossible to know in advance how concessions on one dimension need to balance with greater effort on others.
No one knows for sure how to trade NPV for upfront cash: per Zambia’s statement there is not even consensus among members of the Official Creditor Committee on this critical issue, arguably the result of having new players like China at the table. Bondholders understandably aren’t keen on continuing a FAFO “try and see” back-and-forth with the official sector, arguing that the official sector is intervening in their own negotiations with the country.
To add additional intrigue, Bloomberg reported that China obtained approval from the authorities in Beijing to sign off on the June deal based on indicative terms for bondholders that were substantially harsher — 10 percentage points of additional present-value reduction — thinking these terms were final. The bondholders weren’t told about this until later. Other bilateral creditors have suggested a roughly 5 percentage points difference in present-value reduction between the official creditors and bondholders would work.
What is the price of a haircut?
One argument raised by bondholders is that their principal haircut should be taken into account when assessing comparability, in effect adding a fourth substantive indicator.
However, the argument only really gains political merit when the face value of the new debt instruments is being reduced below its level at the time the country first got into trouble. Zambia’s restructuring process has been exceptionally slow. Accumulated past due interest (PDI) has added enough to the bondholders’ legal claim that the face value of the new bonds is set to be higher than that of the old ones, even after the proposed haircut.
Bondholders are not alone: official creditors have also accumulated past due interest, yet they have not properly disclosed the size of their claims pre- and post-restructuring — it would help if they were more transparent.
To be sure, PDI is a contractual right, and bondholders weren’t responsible for the lag between Zambia’s default and the start of real negotiations — they would rather have had performing bonds than a growing legal claim. Proposals to scrap PDI altogether go too far; a better approach would respect contractual claims without allowing the rise in claims to pull up estimates of what the country actually can pay.
The classification of Chinese claims comes back to bite
Zambia faces another complexity. The contemplated bond treatment would apparently not leave enough cash flows within the IMF envelope if other commercial creditors were to take the same deal. As a Paris Club official told Reuters:
If bondholders’ debt relief fell short of expectations, that also raised questions about the effort that would be needed from other private creditors like banks and some Chinese institutions. IMF thresholds indeed are a zero-sum game: commercial creditors standing last in line might be required to do “more” than official creditors or bondholders to fill the restructuring envelope.
Historically this was not much of a problem, but in Zambia’s case, China concluded that only China Ex-Im was an official creditor: in June 2023 $1.7bn in claims backed by China’s export credit agency — originally counted as official — were reclassified as commercial.
In hindsight this policy choice created a bit of a mess: all the Chinese “commercial” claims are owed to state-owned entities, so it isn’t clear if China’s representatives on the OCC are protecting the interest of all Chinese state creditors or simply these of China’s designated official lenders.
China’s decision is even backfiring, as its “commercial” banks cannot extract better terms than the Paris Club since comparability is enforced, while bondholders moving first can obtain better terms than Chinese banks without being subject to comparability with other commercial claims.
The obvious fix for this procedural nightmare would be for China to put all the claims of entities controlled by the state in the official bucket and empower a single negotiator to represent the interest of all such entities — or even better, transfer all the distressed loans of its policy banks to a bad bank.
What’s next?
Bottom line, something will have to give.
The official creditors should help sort out the immediate mess by clarifying how much present-value reduction is needed in exchange for bondholders getting the lion’s share of available cash upfront. Then, tweaks in the bond deal potentially could help get something close to the last agreement over the finish line.
Creditors are taking advantage of the large amount of dollars that the IMF program leaves available in coming years: it allows Zambia to pay about $1bn a year in external debt service in 2024 and 2025, while net reserves are below $2bn and expected to remain under $2.5bn. This high debt servicing in fact corresponds to a surge in official inflows in 2024 and 2025. This should raise questions about future program design: using an increase in preferred debt (from the IMF and multilateral development banks) to allow private creditors to exit generates additional risks to both the Fund and the borrower down the road.
But taking a step back, beyond jerry-rigged fixes for Zambia, the time is ripe for a rethink of how best to define comparability.
There’s a trade-off between the need for clarity and simplicity — which a unique mathematical formula would provide — and the inherent political aspect of comparability, which has always reflected the specific constraints faced by major bilateral creditors.
Right now though, with a broad sense of distrust across the board, there’s a clear need to shift towards the prioritisation of upfront clarity. In Zambia, official creditors agreed to a deal based on the assumption that other creditor groups would accept a significantly higher present-value reduction, and the bondholder deal would not work if other commercial creditors asked for a similar amount of upfront cash.
Clarity should start with transparency about the overall scale of the effort needed and the amount of cash available for all creditor groups that are part of the restructuring.
The core data needed for the calculations — NPV of claims, interest and amortisation by creditor group during the program, available foreign exchange for external debt service — should be in the actual financing tables of IMF staff reports (the best data currently comes from an outdated investor presentation). This would make it immediately clear if a creditor group was doing a deal that implied an asymmetric effort by other creditors.
Some adjustments to the mathematical formulas might then be appropriate, dropping the duration extension (which is redundant) to focus on present-value reduction and the allocation of short-term cash flows. To limit the distorting effect of PDI and incentivise faster deals, the present-value reduction used for comparability could be calculated using either the original face value or the size of the claim at the time of an IMF staff level agreement as the denominator.
Apportioning the available cash on the calculated stock, not claims due in the program period, would also makes sense in cases of deep distress. Trades that offer deeper haircuts for more front-loaded cash are in fact often good all around, but they need to be assessed against a clear baseline. Symmetric treatment of the stock inside the perimeter of the restructuring is an obvious choice.
Such an approach would create a safe space for quick deals. Any creditor group that agrees to a deal that passes a basic test for maturity extension and does equiproportional (symmetric) NPV debt reduction for an equal share of the available cash flow would not need to wait for other creditor groups to approve the deal. They would of course want a chance to reopen their deal if the issuer and the IMF subsequently agreed to increase the size of the pie (through updates of program parameters, or with state contingent instruments).
Of course, this new norm would also place an even bigger premium on the IMF’s ability to rapidly set out parameters ensuring a reasonable balance of effort between debt relief and fiscal adjustment.
Squabbles over who gets the biggest slice of the pie are less important than getting the size or the flavour of the pie right: the real debate should be over the level of debt that the issuer can support, with and without state contingent features, not which creditor can score a better deal than others.- FINANCIAL TIMES
Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton are mentioned in court papers about Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender who has passed away.
The new documents are part of a case against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail for helping Epstein abuse girls.
However, the papers released up to now do not reveal any big new accusations about Epstein or new information about the people he knew.
Prince Andrew is being accused of touching a woman in a way that made her uncomfortable, but he says he didn’t do it.
Other people mentioned in the papers are singer Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield. But they are not accused of doing anything wrong.
Mr Clinton is mentioned in many of the papers. The past president of the United States admitted he knew Epstein in the past, but he said he didn’t know about any of Epstein’s crimes.
The first set of files, which cover about 900 pages, were released on Wednesday after a judge in New York named Loretta Preska ordered it. Many of the people mentioned in the files were already known from the media or from Maxwell’s trial.
Judge Preska said that many people did not object to the release of the documents. However, she decided that some names should be blacked out because they would reveal the identities of people who were abused.
Some of the over 100 people on the list say things about others or might have seen something, and more papers will be shared soon.
Epstein admitted to paying a young person for sex in 2009 and died by suicide in 2019 while waiting for his trial on charges of selling people for sex.
Prince Andrew’s alleged groping
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The new files mention Johanna Sjoberg, who said that Prince Andrew touched her breast while they were sitting on a couch in Epstein’s apartment in 2001.
Buckingham Palace has said that her claims are completely false. They have chosen not to say anything about the new documents, because they don’t speak for the Duke of York anymore, as he is no longer doing royal duties. The BBC has asked Prince Andrew to share his thoughts.
During a statement, Ms. Sjoberg said that Prince Andrew touched her breast while posing for a picture with another accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and a puppet with his name on it.
In 2022, the British prince gave lots of money to Ms Giuffre to end a case she made saying he did something bad to her when she was 17.
Prince Andrew said he never met Ms Giuffre and he said her accusations were not true.
Bill Clinton’s trips around the world.
The court documents also mention former US President Clinton, but there is no suggestion that he did anything illegal. When asked for a response, the people who speak for him pointed to a statement he made in 2019 where he said he doesn’t know anything about what Epstein did.
Based on the information, Ms. Sjoberg said that Epstein told her that Mr. Clinton “likes young girls. ”
The files have statements from Maxwell saying that Mr. Clinton went on Epstein’s plane, but she doesn’t know how many times.
Mr Clinton flew on Epstein’s plane for trips to Africa in the early 2000s. He thought Epstein was good at helping people, but then stopped being friends with him.
The ex-president of the United States said in 2019 that he traveled on Epstein’s plane with people who worked for and supported his charity, the Clinton Foundation.
“His bodyguards went with him on every part of every journey,” he said.
The court papers have a part where Maxwell’s lawyer tries to prove that a media story about Mr. Clinton going to Epstein’s island right after he left his job in January 2001 is not true.
Maxwell’s lawyer said the former US president did not go to or be on Little St James Island from January 1, 2001 to January 1, 2003.
The lawyer said that if the claim was true, Secret Service agents would have had to show records of their travel for the trip.
The people in Belgorod have been attacked by Ukraine in the past, but the attack on Saturday was the worst one since the war started.
Twenty-five people died and over 100 others were injured in a large Russian city near Ukraine.
The Ukrainian missile attacks happened one day after Russia’s biggest air attack in the war, which killed more than 40 people.
This week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia attacked Ukraine with 500 missiles and drones in just five days.
Ukraine will be punished for targeting Belgorod, said President Vladimir Putin. The people who live in the city say that the government is not doing enough to keep them safe.
Local people told Russian media that they heard the air raid alerts only 30 minutes into Saturday’s attack.
They were told to hide, but some found that the basement shelters in their apartment buildings were locked.
One person told the BBC that some basements have a paper with a phone number on the door for the person who has the key. “The worst thing that could happen is if the management company has the key, and since it’s the winter holidays, no one is working. ”
What’s the reason for Russia bombing Ukraine more often.
Sheltering from attack is a bigger problem in Ukraine. Attacks happen a lot and in many places. In winter, it’s dangerous for Ukrainians because Russian attacks happen mostly at night. They have to decide whether to sleep in metro stations or stay at home.
But in Belgorod, a city in Russia with 340,000 people that’s only 30 minutes from the border, one woman named Angela used social media to say that the emergencies ministry’s regional department didn’t know about shelters.
“How is this possible. ” she asked the local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
What if a person came to the city to help family. How can they find out about the management company. There has been a special military operation for two years,” she said, using the Kremlin’s term for the war in Ukraine.
Sergei said he has the same problem in his town, Stary Oskol, which is about 180km (110 miles) from the Ukrainian border. He said that the local government is not doing anything about it and just gives a standard response. If there’s shelling, we don’t know where to go to be safe.
According to another person in Belgorod, the shelters have had problems since the war began.
“I am very mad. People have been talking about it, but the shelter problem has only become known now that there have been casualties,” she told the BBC without giving her name.
A year and a half ago, when a tall apartment building was hit, people tried to find basements to hide in, but all the basements were closed. We don’t have bomb shelters that people know about or can use.
Shortly after Vladimir Putin ordered a big attack in February 2022, officials in Belgorod said they couldn’t tell people where the official bomb shelters were because the Ukrainian military might attack them.
Instead, they shared a video that tells you what to do during an air raid. It says to stay away from windows and go to the ground floor or basement.
When Belgorod was attacked again on January 2nd, many people there left their doors open so others could come inside and be safe from the fighting.
Alexander said, “We are just assisting one another. ”
The local leader has not answered publicly to people’s complaints. The BBC has asked his office for comments, but they have not responded yet.
Before the war, Belgorod had a strong connection with the much larger Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which is on the other side of the border.
Russian forces have bombed the middle of Kharkiv from Belgorod region many times. This area near the border has been impacted by the war more than any other place in Russia.
Yulia says that the bombing will definitely keep happening. “But what is going to be different. “
…the Socialist Party Leader not only NOTE of high corruption, costs, but also expressed concern over healthcare in Zambia
Lusaka, Thursday, January 4, 2024
Fred M’membe, a prominent leader of the Socialist Party in Zambia has expressed his disappointment with the Hakainde Hichilema-led government’s handling of critical issues in the country.
M’membe’s criticism focused on concerns such as corruption, high living costs, inadequate healthcare, and the state of education and economic development.
According to M’membe, the government has failed to address the pressing healthcare needs of the nation, including the high cost of medical treatment and the lack of accessible healthcare facilities.
He called for increased investment and comprehensive reforms that prioritize quality and accessible healthcare for all citizens.
M’membe also expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s negligence in improving the education system.
He urged for reforms that would ensure better educational opportunities for all and bridge the gaps in education.
The government’s economic development policies also came under scrutiny from M’membe.
He criticized their ineffectiveness and called for an environment that supports successful businesses and job creation.
M’membe emphasized the importance of comprehensive economic development strategies that address social disparities and prioritize the welfare of all citizens.
Corruption was a major area of concern for M’membe, who denounced the lack of transparency and accountability within the government.
He demanded immediate action to combat corruption and cronyism, calling for a fair and just society that puts the well-being of its citizens first.
M’membe also accused the government of disregarding democratic principles and suppressing the fundamental rights of Zambian citizens.
He called for a renewed commitment to upholding democratic values and ensuring the active participation of the people in governance.
M’membe’s critique has sparked a call for change and accountability within the government.
Many citizens resonate with his concerns about the government’s handling of pressing issues and are looking for alternative leadership that promises equity, justice, and solidarity for a better future.
As Zambia approaches future elections, M’membe and his Socialist Party position themselves as a potential solution to address the nation’s challenges.
SP IS THE ONLY VEHICLE THAT WILL LIBERATE THE SUFFERING ZAMBIANS – TRYMORE MWENDA
…as he assumes the Chairmanship of the party’s Election Sub-Committee
Lusaka, Thursday, January 4, 2024 (Smart Eagles)
The Socialist Party (SP) has appointed Trymore Mwenda as Chairperson for the Election Sub-Committee and Member of the National Council Management Committee.
In his acceptance of the appointment speech at the party secretariat in Lusaka, Wednesday, Mr Mwenda said he has accepted to work with the SP due to his realization that it is the only party that is capable of liberating the country from its economic struggles among others.
He indicated that SP is the only vehicle that will stabilize the economy.
“I am Trymore Mwenda that has just been appointed and that has just accepted the appointment as chairman for the election sub-committee under the only vehicle that will liberate the suffering Zambians. The only vehicle that will stabilize the economy that is dwindling each and every day,” he said.
“I have accepted to work under the Socialist Party, under the able and accountable leadership president comrade Fred M’membe. I accept this appointment and I am coming to learn, and also to contribute to the already existing strong foundation that is attracting so many Zambians to join this movement.”
He described the party as an unstoppable movement.
“As chairman for the election sub-committee, I will work with existing structures to offer leadership and to ensure that whatever that is required in terms of elections is put in place. I am not going to work alone. I am going to work with everybody else in the team because this is the movement, a none stoppable movement,” he said.
“A movement that has come to ensure that the people of Zambia are given the power.”
Mr Mwenda has observed how the country has surrendered all the key economic sectors to foreigners.
He cited the mining and banking sectors as among those that are being run by foreigners.
“As it stands, we have no country to call Zambia, because everything is in the hands of foreigners. Talk about the mines, they are run by the foreigners, talk about the banks, are run by the foreigners. Talk about each and every sector of this country is in the hands of the foreigners. And therefore, I came to my realization that the only movement, the only vehicle that can liberate, that can bring the freedom to the people of Zambia, is the Socialist Party,” he has said.
“And therefore, I would love to thank the leadership for the trust that they have shown in me by giving me this position that requires a lot of concerted efforts. And therefore, I would love to thank the President, comrade Fred M’membe, the General Secretary and all the leaders that are in this movement.”
Before one exports they must have a Tax identification number connected to Zambia Revenue Authority. ZRA then connects to Bank of Zambia to make sure all exports invoices are paid into a Zambian account. This is a brilliant idea and is an animal called Export Proceeds Tracking Framework (EPTF).
So if FQM sales $2 billion that money has to pass through a Zambian Bank account. They are then free to do whatever they wish, even sending funds to other countries. What this means in principle is that the dollar will always be available as long as we are exporting. It’s like moving close to the river and getting the benefits.
This will fight against the depreciation of the Kwacha within the first quarter of the year. This will make sure we are monitoring all our exports , we have alot of minerals that go out of this country with no records. I pray this is extended to Tourism, we have alot of foriegn companies getting paid outside the country for Zambia’s tourism and Agriculture. I have not read the entire document but I hope their are no exemptions. This is now the Musokotanwe of MMD.
Its also increase all air space security for the mines in Zambia. We don’t want to hear of planes flying out of FQM and Mkushi straight into South Africa or outside Africa without any inspection. Boarder space land / air must be monitored and computerised. And ACC must be on high alert kuma corrupt ZRA boarder employees. I would also like to know about the compliance office and what punishment will be placed on offending companies?
This is a brilliant idea but we need all “system go”, otherwise it will fail. It was also good to hear that all uniforms for Goverment will be bought locally. Let’s encourage the Goverment and push more on the local market. If you happen to be a follower of my posts, you notice these are the things we have been fighting for, for years now. Next time they should commend me as they are my ideas Kiki.
I think debt restructuring delay is working in our favour, it has forced HH and Musokotanwe to concerate more on local solutions we have always demanded. The Data From Export Proceeds Tracking Framework (EPTF) the Economic Freedom Fighters we will come use to see what to Nationalise or Restrict to Zambian Businessmen.
Zambia, a serene and peaceful country, has never experienced the horrors of war throughout its history. However, recent events indicate that the nation is facing a different kind of crisis – a crisis of hunger and economic collapse.
The Inspector General of Police’s decision to prevent opposition parties from holding rallies until the security situation improves is an indirect admission that the food security situation is dire. It is not about concerns regarding intergroup conflicts, political turmoil, or tribal clashes, as Zambia has been blessed with harmony in these aspects.
Alarming reports have surfaced about the hunger situation in the country. The cost of living has become exorbitant, crippling the lives of ordinary citizens. The economy is hanging by a thread, and the exchange rate has reached unprecedented levels. If the Inspector General is referring to these failures as security concerns, then one would have to agree with him.
However, the top cop’s strategy of banning rallies will not deter the people of Zambia from rising against a dictatorial government. It will not quell their voices against police brutality, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, and the soaring cost of living. While the opposition may not have the chance to hold public rallies, the spirit of resistance finds a way to manifest itself in various aspects of everyday life.
Rallies take place within the confines of sitting rooms, where families gather and scramble for their meager meals. They occur in churches and government offices, among civil servants and believers alike. Marketers gather to sell their goods, and passengers become united in their shared struggles as they travel by bus or minibus.
Come August 2026, the people of Zambia will rise to speak out against the divisive forces of tribalism, nepotism, and regionalism. They will strive to restore democracy and good governance, seeking to rebuild a nation shattered by corruption and mismanagement. Even attempts to rig the elections through electronic voting will not deter their determination.
The indomitable spirit of Zambia will prevail, echoing the resilience and strength of its people. Though the path may be riddled with challenges, the Zambians will stand united, refusing to be silenced in their pursuit of a better future. They will write a new chapter, one marked by justice, equality, and prosperity for all.
In the face of adversity, Zambia will rise like a phoenix from the ashes, proving that even in the absence of war, the battle for a just and prosperous society continues. In the heart of Zambia, where unity resides, Amidst the struggles and turmoil that presides, A nation emerges, bold and resilient, With voices united, their spirits brilliant.
Through hardship and hunger, they find their way, Crafting a future where justice holds sway. With each dawn that breaks, their hope takes flight, For in their hearts, they carry a vision so bright. No bounds can contain their collective plea, As Zambia’s soul dances, wild and free
Rescue workers in Japan are in a hurry to find people who are still alive after an earthquake on New Year’s. They are worried because the first three days after the earthquake are the most important for finding survivors.
At least 77 people died when a very strong earthquake hit a remote area called the Noto peninsula on Monday at 4:10pm local time (7:10am GMT).
Several people are believed to be stuck under their houses that have fallen down, mainly in the towns of Suzu and Wajima.
After 3 days, it is much less likely to find people alive.
Many people still don’t have electricity or running water, and some are stuck because of landslides and roads that are blocked.
Japan’s leader, Fumio Kishida, said on Thursday that 150 people have been saved and rescuers will keep working to save more.
This is a really tough situation. “But please try to save as many lives as possible by tonight, when the first 72 hours have passed,” he said, focusing on saving lives.
The earthquake on Monday hurt at least 330 people and was followed by more shaking. This information comes from the AFP news agency.
Over 30,000 people affected by the earthquake are still living in shelters. Some towns do not have water, electricity, or internet.
At the same time, exciting stories of lifesaving rescues have been spreading quickly on the internet. A video from Peace Winds Japan, a local group that helped in the rescue, shows people digging through broken furniture to save a woman stuck under her house. They put a big blanket around her.
The media saw a lot of damage in Wajima on Wednesday. Houses and cars were crushed under falling concrete.
The town has about 23,000 people, but most of them left when they were told a tsunami might come. Now, it looks empty like a ghost town.
However, it has recorded the highest number of deaths so far, with more than thirty confirmed deaths, but that number is likely to increase. Some areas of the town are still blocked by broken roads and landslides, making it difficult for help to reach people.
The mayor of Wajima, Shigeru Sakaguchi, said that only 2,000 out of 10,000 people who had to leave their homes have received food and other help.
The mayor of Suzu, a town with 13,000 people, said that almost all the houses there were destroyed. About 90% are totally or almost totally collapsed, according to Masuhiro Izumiya.
A small tsunami hit the town shortly after the big earthquake.
Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and there have been more earthquakes near Noto since the end of 2020. Over the last three years, there were over 500 small and medium earthquakes here.
KATUMBI REACTS: Popular Opposition Candidate Calls On Congolese Population To Join Peaceful Actions Against Fraudulent Elections
Opposition Congo Ya Makasi candidate Moïse Katumbi has issued his first official statement since the proclamation of incumbent Fèlix Tshisekedi as winner of the chaotic 2023 polls.
In a statement released this Wednesday, Katumbi has urged the Congolese join the cause to demonstrate against the recent fraudulently held presidential elections.
Katumbi, a popular figure amongst the Congolese population, came second with a unreasonable and meagre 18% rate of the votes in an election that was marred with several irregularities.
The Ensemble Pour la Republique leader encouraged the Congolese population not to give up on the fight for democracy and renewed hope for the country.
“My dear fellow citizens, to all of you who voted for me, to all of you, who believe that, together, a new Congo is possible, I swear to never abandon you” Katumbi said.
“Today, we are entering another phase of our quest for freedom. Together, we must save our country from the hands of predation, corruption, bad governance, and all kind of injustices. This is why, with other fellow citizens and freedom-lovin social and political forces we thought that a citizen surge is vital. Saving our democracy has become more than a priority.”
Katumbi who attracted massive crowds on his campaign trail in the build up to the elections, has since offered himself to champion the fight against undemocratic electoral process.
“It is a duty! I will not fail in fulfilling my civic duty. This is why I ask you to not give up, to not give in to discouragement or pessimism, but on the contrary, to resume the journey we started together. Because nothing is over; everything is still possible, and we have a God-given right to this new Congo, and we will not allow anyone to destroy this dream that we have of building it together.
Our Constitution urges us to oppose any group of individuals who want to seize power and to keep it despite the Congolese people ‘s expressed will. For our dignity and the future of our children, we must use all means that it puts at our disposal to refuse fraud and the installation of the dictatorship. Congolese people let us hold steadfast! Let us stay mobilized! The time for action has come. Through peaceful and democratic actions, we will resist and reclaim our most legitimate right, that of defeating fraud and taking back control of our destiny with the leaders of our choice.”
Several opposition candidates as well as the international obsevers have so far declared the results announced by CENI as illegitimate following a number irregularities noted in the electoral process.- DRC News Today
The situation in the Middle East has gotten worse since the Israel-Gaza war started. This got even worse when Saleh al-Arouri, a leader of Hamas, was killed in Lebanon.
Arouri, a top leader of Hamas, was killed by a drone in southern Beirut. He was an important person in the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which is the armed part of Hamas. He was also a good friend of Ismail Haniyeh, who is the leader of Hamas. He was in Lebanon to help his group communicate with Hezbollah.
Even before the war started, the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said that if there was an attack on Lebanon, they would fight back strongly.
However, Hezbollah and its Iranian friends know that how they respond to the current conflict could greatly impact the outcome of the war and the success of Hezbollah.
It was not a surprise that Hamas leaders outside Gaza were going to be targeted.
Israel will hunt down and attack Hamas leaders no matter where they are. In November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a warning.
A few months ago, he clearly talked about Arouri. The second leader of Hamas was also on the US list of terrorists and there was a reward of $5 million on his head since 2018.
Israel usually does not say if they killed someone on purpose, but in this ongoing conflict, there have been many planned killings. It’s also a story of payback and getting back at someone.
Israel will now be prepared for counterattacks. Hamas leaders and their friends are asking for support from the West Bank and other places.
Hezbollah and Hamas need to take action and show it to others.
Hezbollah’s first message asked people to be patient.
Up until now, this strong military and political group has been using words and small attacks at the border to avoid getting Lebanon involved in a big fight.
The Hamas official who had ties to Hezbollah and Iran was killed in a neighbourhood in Beirut. This has affected their plans. However, it needs to consider quick, impressive actions now, compared to its overall strategy for the future.
It has a lot of support along the dangerous southern border of Lebanon. However, in Beirut and other places, people still have strong memories of the destructive 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. This country is currently facing many of its own problems.
Many Israeli leaders have wanted to use this chance to get rid of Hezbollah and its threats to the northern towns for a long time.
There has been fighting on this front, but it has been limited. Israeli forces are spread thin in Gaza and the West Bank.
The US, Israel’s biggest supporter, has also warned many times against starting a war with Hezbollah, because it could have serious consequences.
The recent crisis started with the killing of Arouri and six others, including two Hamas military leaders. This happened during a time of growing tension in other areas, such as the Red Sea shipping lanes. The Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking ships they believe are connected to Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel is under attack from seven different areas, such as Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
Many people are asking for everyone to calm down and not make the situation worse, including leaders from the West, politicians in Lebanon, and UN peacekeepers. They are all very worried that the fighting could spread and become a bigger war. But Israel has been very clear from the beginning.
Its goal is to “eliminate Hamas”. This means attacking its buildings, military and government leaders, and money.
After almost three months, it says there is still a lot more to do.
Many people in Israel and around the world are wondering if Hamas can be defeated by using military force and causing a lot of civilian deaths. This has led to a humanitarian crisis and a lot of suffering and anger.
The people who planned the attacks in southern Israel in October are thought to be hiding in Gaza, even though Israel is searching very hard for them.
Arouri’s death in Lebanon will make Turkey and Qatar, where Hamas leaders are also located, think hard about their safety.
This is also making Israeli families very worried about their loved ones who are still being held captive in Gaza.
The assassination has stopped the talks in Cairo about swapping hostages for Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Prime Minister Netanyahu keeps saying that only pressure will be effective.
DR CONGO ELECTIONS: How Félix Tshisekedi Won Chaotic Poll
The elections held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 20 December deserve many adjectives – flawed, chaotic, historic, complex, rigged.
Which ones to use, in which order, with how much emphasis? Was this a sign of democratic maturity, as the government would have it, or a sham, as the opposition has claimed?
It was certainly complex.
The country was electing a president, along with national, provincial, and local representatives. There were close to 41 million voters choosing between 100,000 candidates, who came from at least 70 political parties and coalitions.
Ballot papers, polling boxes, and voting machines had to be distributed at 75,000 stations around a country the size of western Europe with few roads. The election material was taken by foot, helicopter, dug-out canoes and motorcycles.
The polls were certainly also an historic opportunity. This is the fourth national election since the return of multiparty democracy in 2006; this was also the first time people in the diaspora could vote, and that local elections were held.
It was also a chance for the population to weigh in on the monumental challenges they face, to push their leaders to do better.
Seven million people are displaced in the mineral-rich east due to ongoing violence; 25 million have so little food that their lives are in danger; and, despite enormous mineral wealth, around 73% of the population lives in extreme poverty. And people did mobilise in large numbers, waiting patiently for hours to vote.
And yet, despite the kaleidoscope of parties and the massive challenges facing the country, the election campaigns were largely devoid of concrete policy proposals.
The main organising principle was whether you were with President Félix Tshisekedi and his Union for Democracy and Social Progress party (known by its French initials UDPS) or with “the opposition”. The reason for putting the latter in quotes is that it is more of an aspiration than a real organisation.
Its three main stalwarts – Moïse Katumbi, a business tycoon and former governor, Martin Fayulu, a former Exxon Mobil executive, and Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner – had tried and failed to unite on either a joint platform or behind a common candidate.
In the end, the elections were remarkably disorganised. “A gigantic, organised disorder,” Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of the Roman Catholic Church said.
“Une grande bouillabaisse,” a friend who was monitoring the elections described it – “a big electoral stew”.
The prelate’s alarm was informed by the 24,000 election observers fielded by the Catholic and Protestant churches.
The statistics they reported back are disturbing: in 551 polling stations (6% of those observed), fights broke out, often because voters were tired from waiting for hours, or because they could not find their names on the voting lists.
In 3%, ballot stuffing or the buying of votes was observed and in around a quarter of places the voting machines broke down.
The vote, which was supposed to last just for one day, continued for five days in some places, in violation of the electoral law.
The scandal that flooded social media was the phenomenon of “private voting machines”.
In one of these videos one can see someone shamelessly cranking out dozens of ballots for Mr Tshisekedi on a voting machine in the privacy of his own apartment; in another one can see two people getting into a fight over which candidate they should use the machine to cheat for.
While it is difficult to verify these videos, the election commission has admitted that some of its machines had been stolen or lost.
Unsurprisingly, the opposition did not even wait to hear the official results. Just days after the vote began, Mr Fayulu and Mr Mukwege called for the process to be cancelled, while Mr Katumbi said that he had in fact won.
On 29 December, the Catholic and Protestant churches gave their preliminary verdict. Their voice is critical.
In 2018, it was the Catholic Church that led the charge against the election commission’s official results, saying that Mr Tshisekedi had not won the vote.
In 2011, the bishops had slammed that result as “not reflecting the will of the people”.
Even this time, the churches had been on a war footing with the electoral commission – after all, the head of this body is supposed to be put forward by religious groups, but the government had snubbed the Catholics and the Protestants, who together probably represent around 70% of the population.
In the run-up to the poll, the head of the episcopal conference – the Catholic co-ordinating body in the country – had lambasted the commission’s chief, Denis Kadima, for getting the elections “off to a bad start”.
The clerics also deplored the violent repression of demonstrations, instrumentalization of the justice system and arbitrary arrests. Mr Kadima pushed back against his critics, calling them “prophets of doom”.
In the end, however, the religious leaders struck a milder tone. They observed that “one candidate clearly stood out from the others with more than half of the votes alone”.
In private, priests left no room for doubt. They confirmed the conclusion of the election commission – Mr Tshisekedi won.
This outcome, although not the stratospheric score of 73% proclaimed by the commission, was also what several pre-election polls suggested.
But the prelates cited “numerous cases of irregularities that could affect the integrity of the results of different ballots, in certain places”.
They pointed to the various legislative elections and called on the electoral commission and the justice system to live up to their responsibilities, presumably by cancelling the vote and charging abusers where necessary.
The president’s nationalist firebrand rhetoric – he promised to take the fight to Rwanda if they continue their alleged meddling in the east – and his record of free primary education were probably critical, as was a weak and divided opposition.
But this is hardly a victory for democracy.
The electoral commission was politicised, as were the courts responsible for judging election disputes. There was no thorough audit of the voter list, and opposition candidates faced headwinds in campaigning and mobilising.
All of this percolated into voter turnout: a paltry 43%, down from 67% from the heady 2006 elections. And the elections cost around $1.2bn (£945m), more than the country’s education or health budget.
As the opposition struggles to contest the results, the real threat is not political instability or riots – as investors and donors seem to fear – but rather the erosion of Congolese democracy.
In a country in dire need of greater accountability – to finally move from conflict and poverty to making the country “the Germany of Africa”, as Mr Tshisekedi has promised – this was a missed opportunity.
The pilots of a Japanese airplane that crashed into a small plane at Tokyo Haneda Airport didn’t know their plane was on fire at first.
A flight attendant told the cockpit about the fire in the cabin, according to a Japan Airlines representative speaking to the BBC.
After that, all 379 people on Japan Airlines Flight 516 were evacuated very carefully to save their lives.
Five out of six people on the smaller coastguard plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, were killed.
“As soon as the plane landed, the pilot felt a sudden jolt and couldn’t steer the plane on the runway. ” There was a fire on the plane, but the pilots didn’t know about it at first. They found out about it from the flight attendant.
There were three people flying the plane and twelve staff helping the passengers when the problem happened. The airplane’s announcement system was broken, so the crew had to yell instructions using megaphones and their own voices.
When the cabin crew noticed that some passengers saw the fire on the plane, they told them to stay calm and stay in their seats so that it would be easier to get off the plane if needed. The announcement system didn’t work, so we made these instructions without using it.
The Japanese media said that the evacuation happened very quickly, like a miracle, in just 18 minutes. People left their bags, ran to the emergency doors, and slid out of the plane before it caught on fire.
Smoke started to come into the cabin and spread out. The flight attendants started to yell at the passengers, telling them to leave their things, take off their high heels, and put their heads down.
They worked together. “The key for all passengers to escape quickly and safely was important,” they added.
The Japanese officials said on Wednesday night that the coastguard plane was not allowed to take off from Haneda’s runway. The little airplane was supposed to bring food and medicine to places affected by an earthquake.
The pilots of the airplane said they felt a big bump when they landed, showing that the plane had crashed on Tuesday evening. Japan Airlines said this in a statement. They said their Airbus A350 also moved to the right side of the runway.
The pilots said they couldn’t see the coastguard plane, so they didn’t talk about canceling their landing.
The way people act on the Japan Airlines plane is very different from how they act in other planes during an emergency.
In 2016, a plane called Emirates Boeing 777 had a crash landing in Dubai. A video showed passengers being really disorganized, trying to grab their bags and leave the plane using emergency slides. The crew did a great job getting all the passengers off the Dubai flight safely. Thankfully, everyone, all 300 people, made it out alive.
The accident on Tuesday was the first big crash of an Airbus A350. This plane is made mostly of new, strong materials like carbon fiber-reinforced plastic.
The airplane maker is sending a group of experts to help with the investigation by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
India’s highest court has decided not to get involved in the case of an Indian man accused of planning to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States.
US government lawyers have accused Nikhil Gupta of trying to pay someone to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Mr Gupta is in prison in Prague, and his lawyer said that they have started the process to send him to the US.
The Supreme Court said that the Indian government must do something about it, and they denied the request.
A family member of Mr. Gupta filed a request with the Indian Supreme Court to help him get out of jail and have a fair trial. His lawyer said that Mr Gupta was kept in custody unfairly.
“Judge Sanjay Khanna, one of the two judges on the bench, said that based on the rules of international law and the authority and respect between courts, we do not believe any of the requests can be approved. This is a delicate matter. ” A duplicate of the order will be available on Thursday.
The Czech Republic’s ministry of justice said that Indian courts didn’t have the authority to handle Mr.
Mr Gupta was in the news in November because American authorities accused him of planning to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America, including Mr Pannun.
They said Mr Gupta promised to pay $100,000 in cash to someone to kill Mr Pannun, who is both a US and Canadian citizen, in New York. The assassin turned out to be a secret police officer, according to the prosecutors.
Mr Gupta was supposedly told what to do by an Indian government official, but the official was not named or accused in the legal document.
Mr Gupta could go to prison for up to 20 years if he is found guilty.
India has accused Mr. Pannun of being a terrorist, but he says he is not and actually supports the Khalistan movement for a separate Sikh homeland.
The petition in India said Mr. Gupta was arrested by people who say they are US federal agents and has not had a fair trial yet. It was also said that he was kept alone in a small room and was made to eat beef and pork, even though it was against his religious beliefs.
The judges of the highest court said that according to the laws of other countries, Mr. Gupta can get help from the Indian government. The lawyer for Mr Gupta’s relative said that they only got to talk to their relative before he was ordered to be sent to another country. But now, they need help from the Indian government to cooperate.
The court said that he could ask the Indian government for help.
Mr Gupta was accused of something months after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were believable claims connecting Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. India said the accusations are silly and untrue.
India said it will check any evidence about its alleged connection to the plot to kill someone in the US.
“If one of our citizens does something good or bad, we will investigate it. ” “We promise to follow the rules of the law,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with the Financial Times last month.
ECL SENTENCES FORMER PF MEMBERS’ POLITICAL CAREER TO DEATH ; EXTINCTION OF FORMER PF MEMERS’ POLITICAL CAREER
By Mark Simuuwe
Now , Fred M’membe has dribbled all former PF members, including ECL and M’membe himself to get the structures into Socialist PF part 2 , commonly known as Socialist Party .
“A number of staunch Socialist Party members will be removed and replaced from structures by incoming politically hunger stricken former PF members. “A Socialist Member source has confirmed.
Meanwhile, former PF members have vowed to overthrow Fred M’membe once in Socialist Party.
“ teti M’membe atutangilile bane . Ni Ba Sata abalemuleta mu pepi , not ifwe” ( M’membe can’t lead us …it is Sata who could bring him close not us ) .
“ bena father Bwalya nabena Anthonio alebelesha not ifwe”, ( it is the likes of father Bwalya and Anthonio he could tossed around not us ).
This marriage reunion between old PF members that ran away from Miles Sampa , and former PF members who were ejected from PF , after supporting debt contraction , like Fred M’membe has come after the former PF members began to realize that they would lose it to Miles Sampa .
As for those PF MPs who went with the ECL faction , they have refused to recognize the marriage between ECL and am’membe are and claiming that Fred M’membe is politically dwarf as ECL himself and thus the need for fresh blood at the top . In fact many of them claimed that ECL is far stronger than M’membe .
Many citizens may recall , it is the same group which plundered national resources , money being found in Ukwa bags and Illegal Mukula log failed exports which ZNS is mopping across the country to auction.
It is the same group which left the country in serious debt , stopped recruiting youths in government, charged parents for school pupils to have education , liquidated the KCM , killed Mopani Mine , and Irresponsible debt contraction which the UPND New Dawn government is restructuring !
The same group is regrouping as they swim in muddy waters of the same minority supporters .
Breaking News: TRYMORE MWENDA IS SOCIALIST PARTY CHAIRPERSON FOR ELECTION SUB-COMMITTEE
Trymore Mwenda is the new Chairperson for the Election Sub-Committee in the National Council Management Committee (NMC) of the Socialist Party (SP).
Mr Mwenda is the immediate past Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) Presidential Spokesperson.
His appointment was announced, Wednesday, after undertaking the routine SP ideological training in Lusaka.
Party President Dr Fred M’membe stated at the unveiling of Mwenda that the Socialist Party is gaining more members on a daily basis than any other political party in Zambia.
“We are don’t usually publicize those who join us. It is very rare. Some of them, the nature of their tasks doesn’t require us to publicize who they are. But the Comrade who is joining us today has a Job that requires him to be known in the party, to be known countrywide and because of that, we announce him to the country at large,” Dr M’membe said.
FAILURE TO MANAGE THE MINING SECTOR WILL COST UPND IN 2026 – COPPERBELT SP
By Fox Reporter SOCIALIST Party (SP) Copperbelt spokesperson Reagan Kashinga has warned that failure to manage the mining sector properly on the Copperbelt Province cost the UPND votes in 2026.
Reflecting on the year 2023, Kashinga charged that the UPND was playing mind games with the people of the Copperbelt by delaying to revive Mopani and Konkola Copper Mines.
He said Government pronouncements that it found investors for Mopani and KCM were vague because nothing has changed about the two sleeping mining giants.
Kashinga said that the UPND Government has proved to be full of empty words without action as it has failed to lower the cost of living and to strengthen the kwacha.
“Fellow Zambians as we begin the New Year 2024, allow me to look back at the ended year 2023. I am very sure that all well meaning Zambians will agree with me that 2023 was a difficult year. Many suffering Zambians struggled to access basic needs such as food, shelter and water. In 2023, we witnessed the skyrocketing of prices for essential commodities such as mealie meal, fuel and electricity thereby pushing the cost of living to unprecedented high levels. This is a year we want to quickly forget because it pushed many Zambians into misery. We saw little efforts from the Government regarding policy change to lower the cost of living. The cost of fertilizer remained high with a 50 KG bag fetching nearly K1, 000,” Kashinga said.
He predicted that 2024 will be another hard year for Zambians if the Government does not implement policies that favour ordinary citizens.
“It is in 2023, when we witnessed the violent removal of our people, the vendors from streets without regard for human dignity. In case the UPND government is not aware, the removal of vendors worsened unemployment levels and sent many families into suffering. Government policies must be seen benefiting citizens and not just friends of the Government, especially foreigners.”
Kashinga continued:”In the mining sector, we saw declined Copper production coupled with delay to revive Mopani Copper Mines and Konkola Copper Mines. As usual on this matter, the UPND Government has proved to be full of empty words without action. The pronouncements that the state has found investors for Mopani and KCM are vague because nothing has changed about the two sleeping mining giants. In 2024, the people of Zambia want action not fake promises associated with the New Dawn Government.”
He stressed that Zambians do not belong to the UPND and its friends, especially foreigners.
“We are warning the UPND that failure to revive the mining sector on the Copperbelt will cost them votes in 2026. No Government survives once it starts playing mind games with ba Kopala. 2024 looks bleak because of the poor manner in which the UPND is governing our beloved country. Zambia is for all of us,” said Kashinga.
